


Fighting for Revenge

by CaliKayeTylers



Category: the GazettE (Band)
Genre: Crossdressing, M/M, MMA fighter!Reita, journalist!Ruki, pasts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26465932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaliKayeTylers/pseuds/CaliKayeTylers
Summary: Takanori has a chance at revenge against someone from his past. Will he be successful?
Relationships: Reita/Ruki (the GazettE)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [@Emmimiu](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=%40Emmimiu).



> Hey everyone! This is my last commission fic (for now) the idea given was Reita as a boxer! This wasn't planned to be chapter but I couldn't help myself. Please enjoy!!

“Taka, you better wake up or we’re going to be late to work. It’s scoop day. I heard that there is a new artist on the list this week. A painter opening an exhibit in Portland. Maybe if we get there early you can jump on that one.”

Takanori stretched his arms above his head, his back cracking into place. His best friend, Kouyou, was standing by the end of his bed poking earrings into his ears. He looked ready to go; his hair styled, makeup just as perfect as his outfit. Kouyou always looked good and Takanori had no idea how he could come home at all hours of the morning to turn around and be ready for work at ten. He, on the other hand, had spent his evening in the bath surrounded by scented candles and bubbles, reading the latest novel from his favorite author. And yet, he was the one having trouble getting out of bed. Maybe Kouyou wasn’t human…

“I’m coming. Give me ten minutes.” He said, rolling over to grab his phone off the charger. 

“You have five. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

He noticed a new text from his mother but decided to ignore it for now. Whatever she had to say, it would surely do nothing but ruin his entire day. After all, Takanori couldn’t remember the last positive word either of his parents had said to him other than to tell him they were happy that he was moving out of the country. And even then, his father had said so from behind the morning paper. 

Takanori glanced at his appearance in the mirror as he brushed his teeth and had to stop himself from scowling. He truly looked like a troll in the morning. His naturally black hair was getting too long and unruly, reaching past his thin shoulders. His dark eyes looked tired despite his relaxing evening and his skin seemed dull. He’d been trying to gain a little weight but apparently he was destined to be more delicate looking than masculine. He was everything in appearance that Kouyou wasn’t. Short and common looking whereas his friend was tall and turned every head in the room. With a sigh, he rinsed out his toothbrush before he could continue that line of thinking. Kouyou had never done anything to make him feel this way but somehow it was always in the back of his mind. He supposed it would always be this way.

Ten minutes later he was ready and meeting Kouyou at the door. His friend didn’t comment on how he’d wasted time, instead playfully punching him in the arm. The moment they stepped from the apartment building it was as if they’d stepped into a different world. No matter how long he lived in the city, New York would never cease to amaze him. Sure, Tokyo was big and noisy too, but it wasn’t New York. Somehow, Takanori always felt like he was in competition with every other person on the street and maybe that was just how this city made people feel. It was survival of the fittest after all and Takanori was definitely not in that category. He was more of a lay low and live type. High school had taught him that the best way to survive was to fly below the radar and Takanori had taken that to heart. He didn’t need a bigger fish picking on the little fish anymore. 

“Did you go out last night without telling me?” Kouyou asked, glancing at him from the corner of his eye. “You look like you went on a bender.”

Takanori flipped him off, kicking his feet up on the dashboard. “No, I told you. Bath. Bed. That’s it. I think I didn’t sleep well. I don’t know. Not all of us can wake up looking like a solid ten.”

Kouyou scoffed. “Stop it. I’ve never been a ten a day in my life. Maybe a solid six and you’re a solid eight even on a bad day. No more of that talk. Well, if that’s the case, I hope you can sleep better tonight.”

“I’d probably sleep better if I had someone to cuddle up to.” He teased and was rewarded by the sight of Kouyou’s reddened cheeks. After all these years his friend still couldn’t handle his affectionate comments. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t shared a bed before. He loved teasing Kouyou though because it was nice to know without a doubt that there was nothing more than friendship between them. They didn’t have to worry about how the other felt and they’d both promised to tell each other if something changed. 

“Every time I share a bed with you I wake up feeling like I have a fever. Maybe if you slept with ten fewer blankets someone would be willing to cuddle with you.”

Takanori rolled his eyes. “Eh, cuddling you isn’t worth freezing to death.”

Kouyou chuckled. “Speaking of freezing to death. I think this is the last day I’m driving to work. The weatherman was calling for snow soon. Time to start taking the train.”

“I am overcome with joy, as you can tell. Although, that means an extra half an hour to sleep in.”

Even with Takanori taking his sweet time to get ready, they were among the first to arrive in the conference room. He took a seat next to Kouyou and pulled out his phone. The text from his mother was still sitting there, staring him in the face. Later. He’d call her later. 

“I hope you’re right about this exhibit in Portland, Kou. I could use a pick me up right now.” Takanori mused, flipping through his Twitter timeline. Nothing new. 

“He is right. We will be covering an art exhibition in Portland next week.” 

Takanori looked up as their boss, Geralt, made his way into the room. The only man he had ever known who could make Kouyou look tiny. Then again, Geralt was from Australia and he looked every bit the part. Tall, blond, piercing blue eyes, and an accent to die for. Even Takanori had to admit his heart fluttered a little every time the man spoke. 

“I suppose you’ve already given the interview to one of the girls? I’m surprised you were able to make it here without one of them hanging from your biceps.” Takanori said, pretending to be engrossed in whatever was on his phone. 

Geralt smiled. “Funny as always Taka. No, I have not given it away. I actually thought I had kept it a close secret but then again, Kouyou has a way of figuring out anything, doesn’t he? I wanted to tell you about it first. I thought that you would be most interested in something like this. Are you sure you can handle Portland in November though?”

Takanori almost felt bad for teasing the other man. Almost. “I would handle Antarctica if it meant writing about something related to the arts. It kills me to say this, but thank you, Geralt.”

His boss grinned, leaning back in his chair. “You’re welcome. Now, won’t you stop telling everyone I hate you?”

“Never. It helps me...artistically to think I’m being put down by ‘the man’.” He answered, trying his best to keep a grin off his face. 

“Taka, I think you’d love to be ‘put down’ by the man.” 

Kouyou, the traitor that he was, started cackling, head thrown back and hands clapping, while Takanori turned the color of a tomato.    
  


“Yeah, yeah. Score: Takanori, zero. Got it.” He mumbled as other journalists started pouring into the room. 

Geralt did his usual speech about who was already covering what and the types of interviews that were up for grabs. Takanori only half paid attention since he already knew what job he wanted. He heard the list of celebrities, socialites, and musicians in the back of his mind but didn’t clue back in until one name seemed to stick out from the rest, and just hearing the name from his boss’s mouth threw him back into his grade school years. 

“Akira Suzuki.”

***********

_ “Suzuki Akira.” _

_ Takanori watched as the boy who had been harassing him in the hallway raised his hand. He’d thought moving schools in second grade wouldn’t be so bad, but this kid was already making his life a living hell. Apparently Akira was the top dog already and he didn’t like new kids in his class. He’d made sure Takanori got the message by yanking him to the floor by his backpack in the middle of the hallway. That shaggy head of brunette hair had loomed over his smaller frame.  _

_ “What do we have here? Haven’t seen you around. Sorry for knocking you down.” _

_ Takanori winced as he reached for the hand that was offered to him. The other boy had just lifted him off the ground when he let go of his hand and sent him crashing back down. Tears gathered in his eyes but he wasn’t going to let them fall. Not in front of this monster.  _

_ “Seems that you like being on the floor. Why don’t you just stay there then!” _

_ “Matsumoto Takanori.” _

_ Akira’s eyes slid over to him, hatred in their depths as he hesitantly raised his hand for the teacher. His only thought was that he hoped after a few days the other kid would start to ignore him. Unfortunately his hopes were for nothing.  _

**************

“Wait.” Takanori heard himself speaking up and Geralt looked at him with a confused frown. “You mean Suzuki the UFC fighter?”

Geralt nodded. “Mhm. His big fight is in two weeks and I want someone there to report and interview him.”

“I’ll take it. I’ll get your interview.”

Now even Kouyou was staring at him strangely. 

“Takanori, could I speak to you outside for a moment? The rest of you, look over this list and let me know what you pick when I return.”

Kouyou shrugged his shoulders as Takanori got up to follow their boss. Geralt stopped just outside the door. 

"I thought you were in for the exhibit project? Why the sudden interest in interviewing Suzuki?"

Takanori shrugged. "It would be a huge get for me. Might open up a few doors. You know I want to work for a fashion magazine. Interviewing Suzuki would really get my name put out there, you know?"

Geralt sighed but seemed to understand. "I'd like to make that happen for you, Taka. I really would, but Suzuki only lets women interview him. Even if I sent you out there, you wouldn't get the interview. I'm sorry."

"I swear, G. I can get that interview. If I don't, I'll pay back everything you spent sending me to Vegas. Please, let me do this. Trust me." 

"Alright. Okay, okay. I'll send you out. Be ready. Suzuki has a fight tomorrow night, so you'll be on a flight out in the morning."

Takanori clapped his hands together. "I'm gonna have to miss the rest of your meeting. You understand, right? I have to pack. Tell Kouyou I'll take the train home!" He said, patting Geralt's shoulder before turning to leave. 

******************

Kouyou was sighing for the umpteenth time and Takanori had had enough of it. His friend was laid out across his bed flipping through a magazine while he packed. 

“What’s with the sighing? You’ve been going on like this for almost an hour. If you have something to say then just spit it out instead of annoying me with your heavy breathing.” He said, putting a few pairs of socks into his suitcase.

His friend sat up and reached a hand into his suitcase. He pulled out a pleated black skirt jumper and showed it to him. “I’m just wondering why you’ve gone binge shopping on cute girl’s clothes all of a sudden. Is there something you need to tell me?”

Takanori scoffed, yanking the outfit from Kouyou’s hand and shoving it back into the bag. “Geralt told me that Suzuki only allows women to interview him. So I won’t be interviewing him as Takanori. Instead I’ll be Mikki.”

He could almost hear Kouyou’s jaw drop open. “You’re going to  _ what?  _ Taka, that’s never going to work and if you get caught you’ll be in trouble. Does Geralt know that you’re doing this? What if somehow Suzuki does pick you for the interview then finds out you’re a guy? There are so many things that could go wrong with this idea. And how do you even know you’d look convincing as a woman?”

That...was a good question. “Honestly? I don’t. But I have to try. I guess we’ll see just how convincing I am. Geralt doesn’t know and he better not find out from you. Things will work out. In the meantime, stop being so lazy and help me pack. I have to leave extra early in the morning since you aren’t driving anymore. You won’t miss me too terribly much while I’m gone, right?”

Now Kouyou was rolling his eyes. “I’m actually taking the train down to Philly to cover some party. So be careful, I won’t be able to fly out and save you.”

“Don’t worry Kou. This guy might be a champion fighter, but I assure you I can bring him to his knees.”

Kouyou just laughed and helped him finish packing. Much to Takanori’s surprise, his friend stayed in for the evening and they cooked dinner together before settling in front of the television to watch a movie. It had been his turn to pick so of course Takanori had picked something scary. He knew Kouyou didn’t like jump scares but he wouldn’t complain. Honestly, Takanori loved watching Kouyou jump every time he got scared. Maybe it reminded him that his friend wasn’t completely perfect. Besides that, the evening was comfortable and relaxing. They hadn’t spent an evening together like this in a long while and both decided not to let so much time pass before they did it again. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your comments!! I'm glad you all are enjoying this so far and you're so curious!

If there was one thing he could say about Vegas it was that at least it didn’t have New York weather. Kouyou had been right after all and Takanori had watched the snow starting to fall as he’d waited for his plane to depart. The flight had been long and uneventful which he was honestly thankful for since it allowed him to catch a few more hours of sleep. He’d already cursed himself twice for being nervous when he didn’t even know if this interview was actually going to happen but simply the thought of seeing Akira again after so long was making him feel uneasy and restless. It wasn’t as if they’d been friends after all. Hell, Takanori was fairly sure the other boy hadn’t even known his real name; choosing instead to refer to him only as ‘Seaweed Head’. Not very clever but then again, Akira had never been popular for his intelligence. 

Takanori sat back in his seat as the pilot announced their descent into Vegas. He couldn’t help but wonder if Akira had changed at all. His parents had worked so hard to get him into a private school but Akira had ruined that, hadn’t he? The other boy had spent nine years of school harassing and bullying Takanori until their sophomore year when his parents finally found out and pulled him from the school. Akira had been the one to start the rumors that he was a ‘fag’ and it wasn’t as if Takanori could refute them. Who would ever believe an outcast when the king of the school himself had told them how it was? Once his parents had heard about what was going on he’d found himself placed in a public school for the remaining years of high school. They’d never spoken of whether the rumors were true or not. Takanori had a feeling they knew and that’s why they were unwilling to talk to him about it. To have a son who turned out gay? He was fairly sure his father would have rather seen him dead. 

Despite what Akira had done to him, Takanori had still missed his school. He may have been tortured by the other boy but at least there he’d had friends. He’d never been popular by any means but he cherished the few friends that stuck by him. Moving in the middle of high school was a nightmare. It wasn’t that the kids at his new school treated him badly, no, they simply ignored him. No one reached out to make him a friend and Takanori kept to himself too. He spent the next two years alone. It wasn’t until he’d decided to study abroad in the states for college that he’d met Kouyou. The two of them had become the best of friends seemingly overnight. It had been Kouyou who’d convinced him to stay and though they didn’t voice it, his parents had been all too willing to help him stay as far from them as possible. You couldn’t disappoint your parents if you were halfway around the world after all. 

Takanori sighed, nodding a ‘thank you’ to the stewardess as he departed the plane and followed the crowd up the walkway to the arrival gate. He’d only been to Vegas once before, to write an article about a new club that had opened, but he was once again pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere. The sun was shining but the air had a nip to it. Perfect weather for a light jacket and a stroll down the strip. Which was exactly what he’d planned to do after dropping his things at the hotel. Geralt had reserved him a room at the MGM hotel seeing as that was where Suzuki’s fight was happening later that night, but Takanori didn’t want to hang around too much just in case Akira was staying there too. He didn’t want to risk being seen although he doubted the man would even remember him from all those years ago. All the better that way. It made things so much easier on him if Akira didn’t recognize him. 

After a few hours of adventuring up and down the strip, Takanori went back to his hotel room to get ready. He couldn’t exactly just throw on the normal black jeans and t-shirt so he’d need the extra time. The fight began at eight and he finished getting ready with an hour to spare. Looking at himself in the mirror made him laugh but he actually looked fairly convincing, even to himself. With his hair having grown so long, he hadn’t needed a wig, which helped him look less fake. He’d curled the ends of his hair and left it down. He’d also kept the makeup to a minimum; he wanted to look feminine, not whorish. The outfit he’d brought along was something he knew Akira wouldn’t be able to resist. He’d always had a thing for modified uniforms when they’d been in school. This one was simple; pressed white shirt, black blazer with red trim, plaid printed tie that he left a bit loose. The skirt was the same red plaid as the tie and hit him mid thigh. He’d decided on tall black socks and attached them to the lace garter belt he’d worn underneath. He topped it off with a pair of thick platform Mary Janes. Takanori shook his head at his reflection. He truly looked like every anime lover’s perfect school girl fantasy. Hopefully he’d be Akira’s too. 

********

In the twenty or so minutes before the fight would start, Takanori took the time to research Akira a little more. For as famous as the man was, he had difficulty finding any information about him. Was Akira that private? He wasn’t even able to dig up hideous paparazzi photos. How in the world had he managed to evade those pesky cameras? He did find out that the woman who was his press manager, Natalie, was also his ex-wife. Yet there was still no dirt to be found there either. Apparently, they’d met in college, which Takanori had snorted at, wondering if Akira had a degree in being an asshole. The two had married in their second year and had divorced four years later. By then Akira had been quite established as a fighter already. Takanori found himself wanting to know if Akira had finished college or dropped out. He knew the man wasn’t stupid but maybe fame was a better choice than whatever he’d been going to school for. Despite the lack of information he could find, Takanori was certain he could dig up enough for himself to write the scathing interview he had planned. 

The crowd was deafening when the lights went out and the ring in the center of the auditorium lit up. Akira’s opponent, a man named Sean, stepped into the eight-sided ring. He was fairly tall and lean but the scowl on his face made him look almost sinister. Takanori was sure he was probably the nicest guy...outside of that ring. People all over were yelling the man’s name, hyping him up, and Takanori was happy for his earplugs. The angry looking man held no interest for him. His opponent on the other hand…

Takanori inhaled a quick breath as he watched Akira get in the ring. Against his will, his heart began to beat faster, his mouth went dry, and his palms began to sweat. Logically, Takanori knew he would look different. Akira had grown up just as he had but even though he’d seen pictures, they had done nothing to prepare him for how the man looked now. He wasn’t tall by western standards but still taller than himself and unlike his opponent, Akira hadn’t cut his hair off, instead, he’d left it longer and it had been bleached almost white blond. His body was toned and lean, and Takanori’s traitorous mind couldn’t stop picturing how he’d look laying on his bed. Though he was built like a Greek statue, there was a beautiful smile on his handsome face. He lifted his hands, waving them around at his fans. Takanori couldn’t take his eyes off of him. This was the same boy that had picked on him and beat him up? That made his life miserable for  _ years?  _ He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. Takanori’s stomach felt sour as he watched the scene before him.

He would be the first to admit that he didn’t know a thing about this type or any type of fighting, but Takanori felt like Akira was good. Sean was being worn down but Akira didn’t seem to be tired at all. He hadn’t even been hit yet! He was agile and it gave Takanori a mini heart attack every time he would almost get hit only to duck out of the way. It was almost like watching two people dance and despite his initial attitude towards the sport, he found himself enthralled. By the time it was over and Akira had won, Takanori found himself standing up and cheering along with the rest of the crowd. The blond fighter was grinning from ear to ear, his heaving chest the only sign of his exertion. He was quite amazing...but Takanori refused to allow his mind to wander. He came here for a reason and he would see it through. 

As most of the fans left through the main doors, Takanori, along with the rest of the press, were led further back into the building to wait. They were ushered into a large room with a mirror lining the front side. He wondered if it was one way glass. Was Akira and his manager watching them from the other side? Picking through them like a herd of cows? The idea made Takanori feel a bit like a sheep going to slaughter. At least the room was nice and cool compared to the auditorium. He's been afraid too much of his makeup would sweat off. Before too long a tall woman with flaming red hair stepped into the room with a clipboard in hand. Takanori recognized her as Akira's press manager; his ex-wife. 

"Due to time constraints tonight we'll be doing one thirty minute group interview and twenty minute solo. The group will be going first." Natalie said and called off a list of names. Takanori wasn't surprised not to hear his own. This had been a gamble to begin with. "And for the solo interview...Mikki Nakamura. If you'll come with me, I'll escort you to the waiting room. The rest of you, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. A member of staff will escort you from the auditorium. Thank you for coming."

Takanori quickly grabbed his bag and made his way through the sea of disappointed journalists to stand with Natalie. Trying to use a more girly voice was difficult but he wasn't too worried. "Excuse me. I'm Mikki."

Natalie genuinely smiled at him. "Ah, good good. I'm sorry that I'm going to have to ask you to wait a while." She said, leading him just down the hall to a smaller, mirror free, room. "There are refreshments if you'd like anything and I'll come get you as soon as the first interview is done."

Old habits died hard, and Takanori bowed his head as she left the room. Usually, he wouldn't make use of a refreshment table but he found himself thirsty from all the dry air of the auditorium. Pulling out his phone, he grabbed a bottle of water and took a seat on the comfy looking sofa. He'd forgotten earlier to let Kouyou know he'd made it so he sent him a quick text. His friend was excited about his interview but also warned him to not get caught. Like he didn't already know. After a few texts back and forth, Takanori flipped through the questions he’d planned out for Akira to answer. Some of them were quite clever and would hopefully gain him the answer he was really looking for. 

Half an hour passed quickly and Takanori wasn’t sure he was honestly mentally prepared for this. What would he do if Akira recognized him? 

“Sorry for the wait.” Natalie said when she came back into the room. She looked tired; this must have been a long night for her too. “You can come with me now, Akira is ready to meet with you. Fair warning, he can be a bit sluggish after a fight so if I see it happening I’ll try to get his attention back on you. He seems rather excited to meet you though.”

Takanori chuckled. “I’m excited to meet him too. Thank you.” He replied, following her a bit further down the hallway.

They entered through a door labeled ‘Dressing 1’ and Takanori had no time to prepare before finding himself stood just a handful of feet from his enemy. Akira was even more handsome up close but that boyish smile was still present. For a moment, Takanori was unable to move. He saw himself reflected in Akira’s dark amber eyes and was stunned. It took the other man reaching out a hand towards him to pull him from his shock. 

“You must be Mikki. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Akira.” He said and Takanori suddenly forgot every word of English he’d ever learned, but he reached out to shake his hand. 

“It’s nice to meet you too…” He answered with a bow of his head. 

“Come, sit down, make yourself comfortable.” Akira gestured to the leather sofa that adorned one side of the room. “I read the profile you sent in and it said you’re from Tokyo. Would you mind if we spoke Japanese? I don’t have the opportunity very often.”

Takanori took a seat as delicately as possible and nodded. “I don’t mind. My roommate and I are both from Japan so we don’t speak any English at home. It’s more comfortable I think.” 

Akira sat down on the opposite end of the sofa. “It is. It’s nice that you have someone close to you that understands where you came from. When I first came over here, there were so many things that people did that I was horrified by but now I feel like I’m better adjusted to life here. How long have you lived in the states? Do you like New York?”

His voice was the same deep sound that Takanori remembered but somehow the man sitting before him didn’t seem to be.  _ Stop it. Remember how he treated you?  _ It seemed too easy to get lost in conversation and forget why he was here. Takanori reminded himself that Akira was only interested in making small talk because he thought he was sitting here with a cute girl. 

“I’ve been here for a little over seven years. I do like New York. It has a completely different feel to it than Tokyo but the city has its charms. What about you? You’re who we’re here to talk about after all. And I’ve only got...sixteen minutes left. So tell me about yourself.” He prompted but Akira’s gaze slid away, a chuckle falling from his lips. 

“There isn’t much to tell, honestly. I moved here right after high school. Believe it or not I came to the states to study law. I wanted, and want, to be a lawyer. I’ve been thinking a lot about going back to school after I win the championship.” That was something Takanori hadn’t expected to hear. He knew Akira hadn’t been dumb by any means, but a lawyer? “Anyway, I boxed at a local gym near where I went to school and a guy approached me and asked if I wanted to make some money fighting. I figured anything to help pay for school was the way to go. Two years later I was successful enough that I had to choose between fighting and school. I think it’s fairly obvious what I chose; at least for now.”

So this hadn’t been Akira’s dream after all? And here Takanori thought it would only make sense that he would end up in a career where he could beat up on people. “What about before moving here? What was your life like in Japan?” He asked as nonchalantly as possible. 

Akira’s expression turned to something of sadness and maybe...guilt? “I don’t want to sit here and talk about how horrible my childhood was. No one cares about those things, right?”

Takanori scoffed. “You’d be surprised how often people want to read exactly that. Someone like you growing up and becoming the celebrity you are, fans like to relate to your life. It makes you more human and personable to them.”

“Can we come back to that question then?”

“Sure.” He said, trying not to show his irritation. He needed Akira to talk about the past, how he was when he was younger and just what kind of person hid behind that pretty smile. “Tell me, how do you avoid the paparazzi? There’s almost no news of you anywhere and you’re on the road to becoming the next lightweight UFC champion. How do you stay out of the spotlight?”

The laugh that rumbled from Akira’s chest had Takanori’s heart doing backflips without his consent. “That’s actually ridiculously easy to answer. I’m just an extremely boring person.”

That made Takanori actually laugh. “How can that even be true? You don’t get to your level of fame by being boring.”

Akira waved his hands through the air. “It’s true! The only scandal in my professional history is that I divorced the woman who was my best friend after realizing that friends were all we were ever supposed to be. When we announced the divorce it was in the papers for a week or so but died down fairly quickly since it was amicable. No late night fights or clothes thrown out in the yard. Oh, I once thought there was something wrong with my subway pass because it beeped to let me through but the turnstyle wouldn’t move so I jumped over it. I got a tongue lashing from the lady in the booth. That’s about as scandalous as it gets.”

Once again, Takanori was struck with the thought that this couldn’t be the same man he’d grown up with. Hell, he’d assumed Akira would end up in jail! How does someone go from the monster he’d known to this sweet man sat before him? Or was this all a facade for the press? 

“Well, I guess being boring has paid off well for you then. I didn’t expect to hear you say law school. Was that the whole reason you moved to the states?”

“Yep. I sent in an application to Columbia more as a joke to my mother but then I got accepted and had to figure out what the hell I was going to do. The move to New York was...difficult, to say the least. I’m sure you’d understand better than most. I got lost so many times; almost every time I stepped off campus. When I didn’t enroll again for classes I actually spoke to the head of the college and informed them what was going on. They told me I’d be welcomed back if I ever decided to pursue my degree again. Most of my fights stateside are here in Vegas now so I have a house here but my apartment in NYC is where I would call home. I can’t wait to go back after the last fight.”

Takanori almost smiled at that. “I feel the same way every time I travel for work. Even with my parents living back in Japan, New York still feels like my home. Columbia though? That’s impressive. You must have done quite well in high school then?”

“Kind of.” Akira scratched at the back of his neck. “I wasn’t the best disciplined kid. I’ll admit that. But I did work very hard in studies and did every activity outside of school that my teachers told me to do. I was waitlisted but somehow got in. Luckily because of all the help I’d received and being an international student, my tuition was affordable. I worked of course but this job made it all possible. Is journalism what you’ve always wanted to do?”

“Akira, this interview is about you, remember?”

“I’m really sorry to interrupt but I’m afraid we need to get ready to leave.” Natalie said as she approached them. “I can have someone escort you from the auditorium if you’d like.” 

“Actually.” Akira spoke up then. “If Mikki is up for it, I thought maybe we could continue the interview over dinner?”

Natalie narrowed her eyes for a moment then simply shrugged. “That’s up to her. I trust you to make the right decisions. I can have the usual delivered to the house by the time you get there.”

Akira turned pleading eyes towards him. “What do you say? I always have dinner brought to the house after a fight. Would you join me? I’ll have a car take you and meet up with you as soon as I can.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, an alarm was blaring, telling him that this was a  _ horrible  _ idea but Takanori was choosing to ignore it as another thought popped into his head. An even more diabolical idea. Maybe he wouldn’t need to write the interview after all. What was a scathing interview compared to a broken heart? And that’s exactly what Takanori would do to Akira. If the other was already inviting him for dinner then it wouldn’t be too difficult to make him fall. Akira would be so heartbroken and maybe even traumatized by the fact that he was only pretending to be a girl. Takanori felt positively giddy at the thought. The man who had spent years of his life calling him a fag would have to deal with the fact that he himself was in love with a guy. It was perfect!

That plan in mind, he smiled sweetly. “That sounds good to me. As long as I’m not too much of an intrusion.”

Akira shook his head. “Of course not! I’m going to take a quick shower before heading home. Nat, take her to my car please.”

“Sure thing. I’ll come back and find you, Aki. Mikki? Come with me.” Natalie said with a smile and Takanori followed her, staying in step this time instead of following as the woman led him away from the room. 

“Akira must have really taken a liking to you. He’s never asked anyone to come over for dinner. Or anything for that matter. In light of this, I have to ask you for a favor.”

Takanori frowned at the tone of her voice. “Sure, what can I do?”

“I love Akira. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had and he’s done such an amazing job of staying out of trouble and being a good man. He’s a gentleman, I promise that. So please, treat him with the respect that he will treat you with. I know how some reporters can be and I know that alone with him is the perfect time for you to make up some story. I only ask that you don’t lie. Akira doesn’t trust many people. Please don’t make him any more mistrusting.” 

Despite the plan in his head, Takanori nodded. “I promise not to write anything but the truth.” After all, he didn’t need lies in his interview when he could get revenge all by himself. 


	3. Chapter 3

Akira’s ‘house’ ended up being an entire compound on the edge of the city. Takanori stared out the tinted windows as they drove through the gate that surrounded the place. There was a main house that was far too big for any one person, a smaller house to the side of it, a rectangular building that he assumed was a gym, and a track that made up the front yard. 

“Mister Suzuki is very particular about his workout routines so he built his own gym so he wouldn’t have to work around others. He’s more comfortable without people around.” The driver said, eyeing Takanori through the rearview mirror. “He has informed me to drop you off at the main house and Nicholas, the head of staff, will make sure you’re comfortable.”

Takanori didn’t even know how to respond to that. Head of staff? Just how rich was Akira? The car parked before the front entrance and an older gentleman opened the door for him. 

“Good evening Miss. My name is Nicholas. I am in charge of the duties of the house.” He said, offering a white gloved hand to him. Takanori felt like he should wash his hands before accepting the gesture. Inside, the house was just as impressive as the outside. Akira must have been a lover of sunlight because most of the outer walls seemed to be made of glass. “Mister Suzuki asked that you make yourself at home. He should arrive within half an hour.”

“Ah, thank you. Do you think Akira would mind if I sat outside?” He asked, spying a sparkling inground pool behind the house. 

Nicholas smiled. “Of course not. Simply call for me if you need anything. I’ll bring a glass of wine to you. Do you prefer white or red?”

“Oh, uh. I’m not sure. I haven’t really drank wine before. What do you suggest?” He asked, hoping the older man wouldn’t think of him badly. 

“I suggest a glass of both. I’ll bring them right out, along with a towel in case you fancy dipping your feet in the pool the way Mister Suzuki does.” With that Nicholas left him alone and Takanori walked slowly towards the back of the house. In all his years of traveling, he’d never been in a house so luxurious and yet he remembered what Akira had been wearing during their interview. His hoodie had been plain and so had his shorts. Even his shoes had been basic Nikes. There hadn’t even been an expensive watch on his wrist. Maybe there was more to Akira than the opulent house. 

Takanori took Nicholas’s suggestion and slipped off his shoes, followed by his long socks. He could feel the warmth from the water and figured it was heated. The nights were too cold now for it not to be. The water felt good against his legs though as he sat on the edge of the pool. For a moment he leaned back on his hands and closed his eyes. Part of him couldn’t even believe he was here; couldn’t believe that he had willingly stepped into the house of his torturer. What if Akira had recognized him and was planning to do something horrible to him? Maybe he should text Kouyou just in case he didn’t live till morning. That thought had him pulling his phone from his pocket and dialing in his friend’s number, but the door behind him opened before he had the chance to hit the call button. 

Nicholas sat two goblets of wine down beside him along with a fluffy white towel. “The car is pulling through the front gate now. Mister Suzuki will be here momentarily. Let me know which wine you prefer and I’ll bring the bottle for you.” 

He nodded but Takanori was suddenly feeling nervous again. He took a sip of the red wine and immediately knew it wasn’t for him. The white was much sweeter and, though he usually stuck with fruity cocktails, he didn’t mind the wine. Maybe it would give him the confidence he needed to make Akira fall for him too because obviously he wasn’t going to enjoy flirting with the other man. In fact, it made him sick to his stomach. 

A handful of minutes went by before the door opened again. Takanori turned to find Akira and raised a glass to him.

“Your home is beautiful. Uh, your...Nicholas, told me to make myself at home. I couldn’t resist your pool. I hope you don’t mind.” He said, offering what he hoped was a sweet smile. 

Akira chuckled, sitting down beside him. “Of course not. You’re lucky it’s a mild night. I brought you out a heavier coat just in case you get cold. Dinner should be here soon. I don’t mean to be pushy but I am starving.”

“I’m sure you are. You worked hard tonight. You deserve a feast!”

“Ah, you’re too sweet. I’m happy to be sharing this meal with you. Thank you for agreeing to come here. We could...finish your interview after dinner?”

Takanori bit his bottom lip. “Actually, I think I have enough to write the article. It was supposed to be focused on the fight anyway.”

A smile appeared on Akira’s face, his eyes sparkling in the lights of the back patio. “Would that mean...that this dinner could be considered a date? Pleasure, not business?”

“Hm. Maybe not so much the pleasure part. I’m not the type of girl to kiss on the first date.”

Akira genuinely laughed. “That is  _ not  _ what I meant. Not that I’m not attracted to you!” He quickly said, holding his hands up in front of him in surrender. He was almost cute when he was flustered…

“Calm down. I know what you meant. And...I think I’d like to call this a first date but are you sure we should? I mean, what are the chances that we’ll ever run into each other after tonight? I leave for New York at seven in the morning. That’s not even time to meet for breakfast.”

“Well, this may be incredibly forward of me, but I do have a guest house. Why don’t you stay with me until the last fight? We can go back to New York together afterward. It would give us more time to get to know each other. Of course, you’d be free to leave anytime.”

Takanori’s eyes went wide. “I don’t think my boss is going to foot the bill for me to stay here for two weeks. And you can’t let a stranger stay in your guest house. This all sounds crazy, you know that, right?”

“I know.” Akira nodded. “But I’m not that young anymore, you know? What’s the point in beating around the bush at this point? Plus, someone like you, if I don’t grab on and hold tight then I’ll miss my opportunity. I think I’ll take my chances by housing a stranger as long as she allows me to pay for her stay.”

This was more than he ever could have dreamt of. Not only would he get to spend two weeks in this glorious house but he’d also have the opportunity to get Akira wrapped around his little finger before breaking not only his heart, but this facade he’d put up for the world to see. 

“Okay.” He conceded. “I’ll stay. I’ll call my boss first thing in the morning and tell him I have to stay to get the interview.”

The smile on Akira’s face had Takanori’s own lips betraying him and curving into a shy smile. “Ah, this will be great. I’ll still be training in the mornings but the evenings will be all yours. Have you been to Vegas before? It’s weird but as long as I’ve lived here off and on, I’ve never done any of the touristy things. I’ve never even gambled!”

Takanori laughed. “I guess I’ll have to show you around then. I’ve been here a few times for work but I was able to explore quite a bit. I’ll show you how to be a peasant like the rest of us and enjoy this tourist trap.”

The doorbell rang out through the house announcing the arrival of dinner and Akira stood up. “A peasant huh? Honestly Mikki, I think you’re better suited to be a celebrity than I am. I happen to love cheesy tourist things. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped being a ‘peasant’. Come on, let’s go eat. Oh here.” He said, handing the towel to Takanori as he pulled his feet from the pool. Once he’d dried off, he allowed Akira to pull him to his feet, straightening his clothes and picking up his shoes. 

“Would it be okay if I didn’t stay the night here tonight? I need to get my things from the hotel and by the time I get back I’d rather just go to bed since it’s so late already. I’ll just grab a taxi and come back tomorrow morning once I check out.”

Akira opened the door to the house and held it open for him. “Nonsense. I don’t mind if you want to stay at the hotel tonight, but I’ll leave you the number so you can call for a car in the morning. If you decide not to skip your flight, please call and tell me you’re running away though.”

Takanori turned to look up at him, letting his lashes flutter cutely. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of running away.”

“Alright. Let’s eat then.”

Takanori let Akira lead him towards the dining area with a hand on his back and cursed himself for enjoying the touch. He would have to be more careful of how he reacted to Akira. He needed to remember who he actually was. 

**************

Morning came far too quickly. Takanori winced as sunlight assaulted his blurry vision. He must have forgotten to close the curtains when he’d come home. Honestly, he hadn’t been able to think about anything other than falling into bed. It had been three in the morning after all by the time Akira’s driver had dropped him off at the hotel. It wasn’t as though he was complaining though. Dinner had gone beyond well. 

Takanori caught himself thinking of how animated Akira had been when asking him questions. He’d seemed genuinely interested in Takanori’s life, even if he’d only been given a watered down version of the truth. His enthusiasm had led Takanori astray from his plan for a while and the two of them had talked as if they were old friends just meeting again. He almost found himself wishing that were true. If Akira had been this way in school...Takanori couldn’t even begin to imagine how much different his school years would have been. Maybe they really would have been friends. Unfortunately, as far as adolescent years went, Akira was still mute on the topic. He’d explained that to tell about his childhood he would have to spill secrets that his mother had desperately tried to keep hidden from the public and he didn’t trust Takanori enough yet to keep it all off the record. Reporters weren’t the most trustworthy people and Takanori hadn’t been able to defend himself because he’d been here to use that information against him from the beginning, hadn’t he? 

By the end of their evening together, Takanori’s face had literally hurt from how much he’d smiled and he was ashamed to admit that most of it hadn’t been an act. Akira had walked him out to the car with a promise that he would see him the next day but he hadn’t tried to hug or kiss him, only gently squeezed his arm and closed the door behind him. Part of Takanori had been displeased. He’d thought he’d made enough of an impression on Akira for him to at least try for a goodnight kiss, but a more rational part of him was berating himself for even thinking about letting Akira kiss him. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to go that far to win Akira over. Takanori wanted to make it out of this as unscathed as possible. Kissing his enemy was not part of the plan so he mentally slapped the romantic part of his brain and locked a cage around his heart. He was stronger than this!

The car arrived just in time to pick him up after check out. To be honest, he was nervous all over again. It was one thing to face Akira for an interview or even for dinner but now he would basically be living with him for the next two weeks! He had to wonder how long it would take Akira to get tired of his presence. In the privacy of his hotel room, Takanori had called Geralt to explain to him what was going on and though his boss obviously didn’t like that he would be gone so long, he gave him the go ahead seeing that it wasn’t going to cost him anything. He hadn’t called Kouyou yet though. He had a feeling telling his best friend of his plan to bring down Akira would make him realize how far he had actually sunk. Kouyou would be disappointed in him and that was something he didn’t need right now. 

“Mr. Suzuki should still be out in the gym. I can take your things to the guest house if you wish to meet with him first.” The driver offered and Takanori accepted

The gym truly was a sight to behold. There was so much equipment that Takanori didn’t recognize. He found Akira easily though, using a heavy punching bag towards the back. Hard rock music was blaring through hidden speakers so the other didn’t hear him approach. 

“Akira! Hey!” He tried to yell over the music and Akira turned towards him, breaking into a heartwarming grin. Takanori had to mentally slap himself as he tried to keep his focus on Akira’s face. He was only human! How was he supposed to resist the temptation of all that muscle covered in a thin sheen of sweat that was meant to be licked off? 

“Mikki! Oh, hold on!” Akira turned away, grabbing his phone and tapping a few times before the music turned off. “Sorry about that. How are you? Did you sleep okay? Have you eaten yet?”   
  


Takanori had to stop himself from chuckling. “I’m fine, I’m fine. I ate breakfast at the hotel.”

“Ah, good. I’m almost done here. You don’t have to stay. I’ll come back to the house when I’m done.”

“Kicking me out already?” He teased and Akira rolled his eyes. “I guess I have more days to watch you work out. I’m going to go take a look at your guest house. Don’t make yourself deaf with that music, ‘kay?”

Akira smiled again. “I won’t. Promise. There’s a phone in the guest house kitchen that links directly to the house. Just get ahold of Nicholas if you need anything at all. Make yourself at home.”

“Gotcha. See you in a bit then.” Takanori smiled and headed for the door as music filled the gym once again. The guest house wasn’t much different from the main house except that only the back was made of glass walls. It overlooked the pool and he could see into the main house from the back room. He mentally made a note not to walk around in normal clothes back there where someone might see. Overall, no complaints. This was so much better than a hotel room. 

Takanori took the time to place his clothes into the closet and looked over them. At least he’d been unable to decide what to wear so he ended up bringing enough outfits for almost a week. Surely Akira would allow him to do laundry since he was the one who asked him to stay. Once that was done, he flopped down on his back on the king sized bed. His throat was starting to get rough from speaking as Mikki. He’d have to start drinking hot tea soon. But he was surprised by how easy it was to fall into this roll. He’d almost forgotten a few times when he was alone that he didn’t have to act this way all the time. A few moments later, when his phone started ringing, Takanori glanced at Kouyou’s name on the screen with a grimace. This was not going to be fun. 

“Oh, hey Kou.” He answered as normally as possible. 

“Don’t you ‘hey Kou’ me, Takanori. What the hell are you doing? Geralt text me and said you weren’t coming home today. He said to call you.”

“It’s kind of a long story, Kou. But to make it short, I’m staying in Vegas for a couple weeks until the championship fight.”

The silence on the other end of the line was so thick he could have cut it with a knife. No doubt Kouyou was pissed that he didn’t talk to him about this plan first. 

“Two weeks? You’re staying there for two weeks? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just fly back? Geralt really gave you the go ahead for this? I can’t imagine him being willing to foot the bill for this. That interview can’t be  _ that  _ important.” 

Takanori sighed, moving to sit up against the headboard. “It’s not. And the magazine isn’t paying for me to be here. I was picked for the interview last night and had dinner with Suzuki last night. He invited me to stay here until the fight. I’m at his house now.”

Kouyou’s voice when he responded sounded absolutely aghast. “ _ What?  _ Why would you agree to staying at some stranger’s house, Taka? Celebrity or not, that’s dangero-”

“He’s not a stranger, Kouyou.” He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. It seemed that he was going to have to tell the whole story after all. “I grew up in school with Suzuki.”

“Huh? You mean he went to college here?”

“No, I mean in Japan. I moved to a new school in second grade and he was there too. From the very first day, he tortured me. Physically, mentally, verbally. Any way that he could because he didn’t like that I was the new kid. It continued all the way into high school. During my Sophomore year, Suzuki started rumors that I was gay. At the time I didn’t know that I was. He started the rumors and before I even knew what was happening, I was banned from school events and the news got back to my parents and they were so ashamed that they took me out of the school and moved me someplace else. My father...to this day he still won’t look me in the face. Do you know what it’s like to move to a different country and your parents are relieved to never have to see you again? He ruined my life. I hate him more than anyone on the planet.” Takanori stopped, realizing there were tears on his cheeks. “I have this one opportunity to make him pay for everything he did to me. Even if it’s a small percent, he’s going to feel the pain he put me through. You see, he’s attracted to Mikki, just like I knew he would be. And even if I have to wash my mouth out with bleach every time he kisses me, I’m going to win his heart over the next few weeks and then rip it out of his chest right before the final fight. I’ll make sure he loses.”

“Taka…” Kouyou’s voice was unnaturally soft. “Takanori, I’m so sorry that you had to go through all of this alone. You’ve told me your relationship with your parents wasn’t good but you never told me why. Honey, listen to me, okay? Why don’t you gather your things and come home? I can meet you there and we’ll take the rest of the weekend off. We can stay home and eat takeout and you can tell me about everything that happened before we met. I’m sure holding this all in for so many years has been hard but you’re my best friend. You can talk to me about this kind of thing. I think talking about it would certainly help you. What do you think? Can I get you a ticket home?”

Somewhere deep inside the recesses of his mind Takanori knew that Kouyou was being logical and that he wanted to help him, but talking wasn’t going to help. Sitting down and pouring out his soul even to his best friend wasn’t going to help the pain in his chest. The vice that felt like it would crush him every time he witnessed a child holding their parent’s hand walking down the sidewalk. Kouyou couldn’t make that feeling go away. 

“I’m sorry Kou. I really am, but I have to do this. Suzuki needs to understand what he did to me. He needs to know that his actions have repercussions! Tell me, is it fair that I was made to leave my friends and have my parents hate me while he went on to become famous and have everything? He needs to lose something he loves.”

“Takanori, I know you.” Kouyou quickly spoke up. “This plan is not going to make you feel better. Hurting him isn’t going to make what happened go away. You are the only one that can make that pain go away. If you do this to him, you’re only going to feel worse. You’re a good person, Taka. A wonderful, kind person and I know that you’re aware what this is going to do to you. Please just take a minute to think about what you’re going to do. Please do not do th-”

“Kouyou, I have to go. I’ll see you in a couple weeks.” Takanori abruptly ended the call, letting his phone fall to the sheets. He knew Kouyou was right and if he listened to him for too much longer he knew his friend could convince him to give up this plan and go home. He couldn’t let that happen. The anger that he’d been holding in all his life needed an outlet and everything was going so smoothly, as if fate  _ wanted  _ him to get his revenge. 

Another hour went by before he heard a knock on the front door of the guest house. He found Akira there, freshly showered and apparently ready to take on Vegas the proper way. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that's been reading so far and for your comments!! I'm so glad everyone seems to be enjoying this as much as I do.

Akira was surprisingly enjoyable company but it was glaringly obvious that he’d never actually explored the strip before. Takanori had to pull him away from multiple street artists or they would have stood there all afternoon. After walking down the strip for a few hours, Akira decided that it was time to gamble. Takanori felt his cheeks turning pink as Akira reached down to thread their fingers together. He kinda liked the way their hands looked…

_ Stop thinking like that!  _ He mentally berated himself. 

Akira led him into the casino of New York New York after figuring out that he could indeed ride the rollercoaster on the outside of the building. 

“I don’t...I don’t really like heights. Maybe I’ll just sit this one out. You go though.” He said, pushing Akira up to the little ticket booth. 

“Oh no you don’t.” Takanori actually squealed as Akira’s arms wrapped around his waist when he tried to escape. “Just one ride. I don’t wanna go alone.”

“I’ll go if you let go of me!” 

Akira chuckled, letting him out of his grip. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I couldn’t let you get away though, now could I? Come on, let’s get the tickets.” He said, excitedly grabbing his hand again and pulling him along. 

Takanori allowed himself to be dragged up to the podium where they sold the tickets. Akira bought both and they waited by the side of the track for the coaster car to come back. 

“I could have bought my own ticket, you know?” 

“It was fourteen bucks. I think I can handle it. I don’t want to start fighting with you about money on our first day, okay? I asked you to bring me out and show me around, so to me, it’s my responsibility to pay. Ah, here it comes.” Akira finished, his head turning towards the approaching coaster with a childlike look of excitement on his face. Honestly, Takanori didn’t want Akira paying for anything. He didn’t want to feel like he owed him for any more than a place to stay, but it seemed that he couldn’t win that argument when Akira wouldn’t even allow him to start it. 

As it turned out, rollercoasters weren’t  _ that  _ bad. At least, not with Akira holding on to his hand the whole time and screaming like a child. Seeing Vegas from that point of view had been kind of neat but he wished they had gone at night instead. All the lights on the strip probably would have made him even more dizzy though, spinning upside down like that. As they stepped off the coaster, Akira almost knocked him over, his legs still wobbly, but Takanori put his arm around his waist and somehow held him up. 

“Stop giggling like a little girl. I can’t hold you up!” He teased, pushing at the blond’s side. 

“I’m sorry! That was so much fun. I definitely need more rollercoasters in my life. Ah, look what it did to your hair!” Akira was grinning as he pulled away and started running his fingers back through Takanori’s hair to make it behave. 

“What did you expect? I can’t be blamed for looking a mess when that thing had me all topsy turvy, now can I?” 

Akira stopped, his hands stilling on Takanori’s cheeks. “Don’t worry, you’re still beautiful.”

Something in Takanori’s chest burst apart. Akira’s words had hit him like nothing ever had before. They were so sweet and sincere...he had to look away. “Oh...um…”

“I’m sorry, again.” Akira said, scratching at the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Takanori shook his head. “No, no. It’s just...no one has ever called me that before. I guess you’re my first.” The moment the words were past his lips and he saw Akira’s eyes widen and his cheeks turn red, Takanori wanted to slap himself in the face with a chair. How could he say something like that?! Innuendo or not, it sure sounded perverted. “I mean...fuck, you know what I meant.”

“Why don’t we go and foolishly spend some money and get out of this awkward moment?” Akira offered, holding his hand out and this time Takanori didn’t have to think about accepting. 

*****************

“Ah, so they don’t have the levers like in the movies?”

Takanori caught himself smiling as he watched Akira touch every button on the slot machine. He was so curious. “Some of them still do but they’re just for show. They do the same thing as hitting this bet button. I like these machines because the lowest bet is only five cents. I can play for a while.” He answered, taking a seat next to the blond. 

“Five cents? Do you ever win anything like that?” Akira asked, feeding a twenty dollar bill into the machine. 

“Ah, sometimes I win a few dollars. Usually enough to keep playing for a few hours. I think the most I’ve ever won was...thirty-seven dollars.”

Akira scoffed. “Show me how to up the bet. I’m gonna win you something fancy, darling.”

“I expect nothing less. Here, this is the bet and this is how many lines you want. Got it?”

Thirty minutes later they’d played ten different machines and Takanori was left with sixteen dollars. Akira had racked up four hundred. Life just wasn’t fair. 

“Do you know how to play the wheel games?”

As they stood from the slot machines Takanori reached for Akira’s hand without even thinking of it. They’d been linked all day and somewhere along the line he’d just become used to it. “I do but I don’t play them. Too rich for my blood.”

“Hmm. Well, let’s make our own bet then. If I lose, I’ll give you all the money I won tonight.”

Takanori narrowed his eyes. “And if you win?”

Akira sighed a bit dramatically. “If I win, you have to let me take you out on a proper date tonight.”

That...was the last thing Takanori had expected to come out of his mouth. And now Akira was back to grinning like an idiot. The problem was...Takanori was scared of the answer that popped into his head. He was here to destroy Akira; this would be the perfect chance for him to do maximum damage. He could date him until the day of the fight then tell him the truth. Maybe in public. It would be everything he’d planned and more but...a very small, very  _ weak  _ part of him wanted to go on that date more than anything. If he looked past who Akira was, Takanori wasn’t stupid enough to deny that the last twenty four hours had been the best time he’d had with someone other than Kouyou. Akira was either a seasoned actor or...he really had changed. Takanori enjoyed spending time with him. Maybe this date would be okay. He could learn more and decide if he truly wanted to hurt him or n- 

Takanori stopped that line of thinking as a sudden realization came over him. This wasn’t a choice. It wasn’t as if he could decide to let Akira off the hook then continue dating him. Even if he ended up wanting to date Akira for real, as soon as the blond found out he wasn’t a girl, he’d be pissed and wouldn’t want a thing to do with him, and that was the best outcome. If he found out the truth and then found out who he actually  _ was _ ? Takanori wasn’t sure what he would do. Either way, Akira was going to be hurt unless he stopped this right now and told him the truth. It wasn’t like it hadn’t crossed his mind, but every time he thought about telling the truth, the anger he’d always held toward Akira would rise to the surface and his revenge would once again feel justified. 

In the end, he was here for a reason. “Alright, you have yourself a deal.” He finally answered, extending his hand. 

Akira accepted and shook his hand. “Let’s go win money for our date then.”

Takanori wasn’t surprised that Akira liked the roulette table. Bigger amounts of money, more payout. And he was doing fairly well. It was fun to watch him but Takanori was having a hard time concentrating with a pair of lecherous eyes on him and the creep was on the move. He was an older man and, while not unfortunate looking, he was definitely not Takanori’s type. Yet that didn’t seem to matter to the older man. His intentions became even more clear as his heavy hand landed on his lower back when he leaned against the edge of the roulette table. 

“Ditch the pretty boy and I’ll pay you triple to come back to my room, honey.”

“Excuse me?” Akira spoke up, shock and obvious anger in his voice. “Sir, please remove your hand from my girlfriend before I’m forced to break it.”

The older man rolled his eyes and ignored him. “Cocky children. Pretty thing like you, wouldn’t you rather be with an actual man? One that can pay you far more for your time?”

Everything happened far too fast for Takanori to comprehend. The asshole’s hand was yanked off his waist in an iron grip that Akira forced up between his shoulder blades and his chest was pushed down on the edge of the table. The people around them moved back and the man grunted but didn’t try to fight. 

Akira leaned down beside his head. “I’m sorry that you didn’t understand my first warning. Now we’re going to have to come to an understanding. You’re going to turn around and apologize to my girlfriend for touching her inappropriately without her consent and insinuating that she is a prostitute. Then you’re going to take your chips and move on to a different casino. If you choose not to take my friendly advice, I will hold you here until the cops show up and I may just have to use a little more force. Those handcuffs are going to hurt so much more on a torn rotator cuff but I may not have a choice if you decide to struggle. So what’s it going to be?”

“I- I’ll go. I’ll apologize and go.” 

Takanori still felt like he was in shock as Akira released the man’s arm and turned him around to face him. He could see the anger in his eyes and it forced him to step back. 

“Go ahead. No time like the present.” Akira nudged his arm.

The anger seemed to give way to defeat as he spoke. “I am sorry that I touched you without permission and that I so rudely assumed you were a call girl. I’ll be taking my leave now.” He said, bowing his head once before quickly leaving the area. The crowd around them started murmuring amongst themselves once again and Akira moved closer to him. 

“Are you okay? I’m sorry to have made a scene.”

Takanori shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“Okay, are you ready to head home now?”

“Well, the evening is still young. I thought maybe we could have that date now?”

Akira’s face lit up, all shiny eyes and a goofy grin. “Perfect. Let’s head back to the house so I can grab my car.”

*************

Takanori was in love. 

Not with Akira, of course, but his car. After grabbing a few things from the house and storing them in the trunk without letting Takanori see, Akira had decided to take him on a drive out on the less traveled desert roads. The Porsche convertible seemed to hug every corner and dive into them head on. This was so much better than the rollercoaster, even if it did still mess up his hair. Not once did he feel scared with Akira behind the wheel. He obviously loved this car and handled it like an expert. 

The sun had started its decline as they sped along the road and the colors its rays painted the desert around them were breathtaking. This was definitely a sight you wouldn’t see in New York. 

“I’m going to pull over in a few minutes to put the top up. It’s going to be too cold to return home without it.” Akira told him, slowing the car to a normal speed. 

“That’s probably a good idea. I didn’t bring a coat and it is getting chil- Oh wow…” Takanori cut himself off as they rounded a bend and a giant bridge, high up in the air, came into view. Against the purple backdrop of evening it stood like a stone monster. He craned his neck back to look up at it as they seemed to drive right up against it before turning again. They had bridges in New York, of course, but to see one out in the middle of nowhere like this was astounding. 

“Where in the world are we going?” He asked as metal towers and cables came into view. A few moments later Akira pulled the car off into a parking lot.

“Come on, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Takanori got out of the car, wrapping his arms around himself as he met Akira at the front of the car where he’d already opened the trunk. He pulled out two heavy jackets, handing one to him. Next he grabbed what looked like a picnic basket. 

“We’re having a picnic?” 

Akira only smiled and reached for his hand. “You’ll have to wait and see. It’s a bit of a walk so I’m glad you didn’t wear heels.” He teased. 

It didn’t take long for Takanori to figure out where they were. He’d seen photos of the Hoover Dam online but he never could have imagined something so grand! It was beautiful and made even more so as lights came on all over the place. He walked with Akira across a pedestrian bridge to a tower that stood out in the deeper water of lake Mead. It was colder here but absolutely beautiful and so worth it. 

"Akira...this is so beautiful." He mused as the blond began removing things from the basket and setting them on the surrounding concrete wall. First a small blanket, then two containers, two champagne flutes, and one smaller container as well as a bottle of champagne of course. 

"I know I didn't make this all myself, but I'm hoping you'll still give me some credit for the idea." Akira said, sounding somewhat bashful as he poured the champagne. The bubbly liquid seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. 

Takanori all out laughed as Akira removed the lids from the two containers. He wasn't sure what he'd expected but once again Akira had taken him by surprise. Laying on their plates were two normal looking hot dogs surrounded by little tubs of every topping available from a street vendor in New York. A touch of home. 

"If there aren't waffles on a stick in that other dish I'm going to be disappointed." 

Akira rolled his eyes, lifting the lid just a bit. “Ah, with mango instead of strawberries. I hope that’s okay?”

For a second Takanori felt as if reality had just warped; his past catching up to the present. There was no way Akira could have known he was allergic to strawberries; it was purely coincidental. Yet it felt like something more was going on here just under the surface where he couldn’t see it. 

“This is all perfect Aki. Thank you.” He said, lifting his glass.

“You’re very welcome, Mikki. Cheers.”

Once they’d eaten their makeshift dinner, the two of them stood side by side, leaning on the wall and watching the wind blow small waves across the lake. The perfect ending to a perfect day. Or at least that’s what he’d thought before Akira spoke up again.

“I’m...sorry about what happened at the casino earlier.” He said, his voice quiet. 

Takanori brushed their arms together. “It’s okay. You defended me from a creep.”

“Ah, no, I meant I’m sorry for telling him you were my girlfriend. I wanted to make sure that you knew that I understood that wasn’t the truth. I just said it in the moment.”

Akira truly was a gentleman, wasn’t he? And just hearing the word from his mouth made Takanori’s heart pound a little faster. Against his better judgment, he turned to face the blond. “I know. Don’t worry, I’m not offended. Maybe...if you’re interested in the idea, maybe we could work towards making it true though?”

Akira’s eyes widened before a breathtaking smile formed on his lips. “You really mean that? You’d give me a chance?”

Takanori knew it was a horrible idea. The worst idea actually, but he didn’t care. Instead of thinking, he wrapped a hand around Akira’s neck and pulled him down into a sweet but short kiss. 

And just maybe that was the first of many they shared through the rest of the evening.

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

It was all too easy to forget about his plan. Spending time with Akira was enjoyable. By the fourth day, Takanori had pushed his need for revenge so far to the back of his mind that it might as well have been non-existent. 

Takanori shoved his hands deeper into the pocket of the black hoodie Akira had let him barrow. Akira always woke up at five to get in his morning jog, saying it helped him wake up and feel energized for the rest of the day. This was only his second day but Takanori found that maybe he was right. Not that he was going to jog, no, but walking in the cool air did seem to clear his head and give him a fresh start to his day. That and after a jog, he and Akira would sit down together for breakfast and it was so wonderfully domestic it made his heart flutter.

“Good morning, Buttercup.” Akira said cheekily as he passed him then turned around to walk backwards before him. “Did you sleep well? I could hear you snoring all the way in the main house.”

Takanori rolled his eyes, tightening the drawstring of his hood. “Well, maybe if the bed you gave me wasn’t so comfortable, I wouldn’t snore so loud. So you only have yourself to blame.”

“Well, my bed isn’t as comfortable. If you want to try it out?”

“Oh sure.” He replied, pushing a hand against Akira’s chest. “And you can sleep on the sofa.”

Akira grinned, his shaggy hair blowing into his face. How could he be so cute? “If that’s what you asked for, I’d gladly take the sofa. I do have some...news? I’ve been so caught up in training and having you here that I kind of forgot about this event tomorrow.”

“Event?” Takanori asked, stepping forward quickly to try to step on the front of Akira’s shoe. 

“Yes, stop that! You see, Natalie’s sister is getting married tomorrow. The wedding is here in Vegas and I’ve already said I would attend.”

“Ah, that’s fine. No big deal. Just leave me with a pizza takeout menu and a tv remote and I’ll be good for the whole day.” 

“Well, pizza binge time is going to have to wait. I want you to be my plus one for the wedding. Don’t worry, we’ll go shopping to find you something to wear!”

Takanori felt his jaw drop. He wanted him to  _ what  _ now? “Akira. Think that through. You want me to go to your  _ ex-wife’s  _ sister’s wedding? I don’t think that’s a good idea. And I really don’t have the extra cash to find something to wear. You go. Enjoy yourself and I’ll be here when you get home.”

Akira shook his head. “Natalie already assumed you’d be coming with me so she wrote me down for a plus one. She doesn’t care if I am interested in anyone else, Mik. Like I told you before, she and I are best friends. That’s why our marriage didn’t work. I want you to go with me and don’t worry about having the money. I invited you, I’ll pay for whatever you need. I know you’re going to argue that too but please don’t. You said you wouldn’t turn this into a fight, remember?”

Unfortunately, he was right. Takanori had already promised he wouldn’t fight about money. And it wasn’t like Akira knew why he felt so bad taking it in the first place. He finally just sighed. “Okay. I’ll go, but on one condition. You have to tell me what I should wear and I’ll go shopping myself.” Clothes shopping with Akira seemed like the worst idea possible. It was far too risky. 

He could tell that Akira didn’t like that plan but he didn’t argue. “Fine. I’ll compromise. You can go alone, but I’m still paying.”

“Deal.”

*************

Takanori had been through half a dozen stores and found nothing. Natalie’s sister, Nora, had planned a winter theme for her wedding. The colors were various blues, greys, and white. Surely a mall would have something he could wear, right? Wrong. He needed something that would help conceal the fact that he wasn’t a woman. 

“Roger? Do you have any suggestions where I should go to find a dress?” He asked the driver. Akira had insisted he take a car out instead of taxis and walking. 

“There is a store that Miss Natalie frequents that may have something fitting. I’ll take you there now.” He said, turning back towards the front. Takanori had a feeling he wasn’t going to like where he was headed. 

And he was right. The small boutique was a place he never would have stopped. Hell, he couldn’t afford to window shop in a place like this! He planned to turn around and walk right back out but a cheery voice from behind him had Takanori stopping. The woman was beautiful, dressed in a simple, yet elegant, olive suit. 

“Can I help you find anything?”

Takanori thought about telling her no, but maybe she would at least be able to give him some advice as to where he should go next. “Um, I’ve been invited to a wedding. I’m looking for a dark blue dress and I haven’t had any luck all afternoon.”

The woman looked him up and down but not in a way that made him feel uncomfortable. “Actually, I may have just the thing for you. With your height and build...come with me. You should try it on.”

Despite every warning bell in his head going off Takanori followed the woman towards the back of the little store and into a dressing area. She opened a door to a smaller room for him and told him she’d be right back. The dress she brought him was...absolutely perfect. It was navy blue and looked like a military jacket. The shoulders were more square and it had gold buttons. Honestly, even if he wasn’t a girl, he still wanted to wear it. 

“I think this would pair nicely with white gloves, white stockings, and small, brown boots. I’ll go get the rest if you want to go ahead and change.” The woman told him with a knowing smile. 

He took the dress into his dressing room and started changing. The size was even perfect! This woman was a miracle. Takanori turned around and around in front of the floor length mirror. Yeah, he was totally buying this. 

“All dressed? Here’s the stockings.” She handed them through the gap of the door. Takanori was already a pro at putting them on and in no time he ventured from the dressing room to see what she thought. “I knew it would be perfect! Here, try these on.” She helped him slip on a pair of soft brown ankle boots and a pair of pristine white gloves. Takanori was in love for the second time that week. 

“Please tell me you’ll wear this to the wedding. I can’t imagine anyone else looking so adorable. Honestly, if you were a manakin, I’d put you in the window.”

Takanori giggled, his cheeks turning pink from all the attention. “I think I will wear this. Thank you so much for all your help. I hope that my- my boyfriend will like it too.”

“I’m sure he will. I’ll let you get changed and you can just meet me at the counter whenever you’re ready.” She finished then left him alone. 

As he was changing, Takanori took a glance at the price tags and his stomach dropped. Eight hundred dollars for a dress?! This whole outfit was going to be almost eighteen  _ hundred  _ dollars… “Oh god.” As quickly as possible he hung the dress back up and took everything up to the counter. 

“I’m so sorry to have wasted your time.” He said, setting the things before her. “I can’t afford any of this. I should have looked before I even put it on. I am so sorry.”

The woman smiled sadly. “Ah, it’s no problem. I’m sorry that you won’t be able to wear it to the wedding. You truly looked amazing.”

Takanori fidgeted with the credit card in his pocket. What if he bought the outfit and was extremely careful? He could wear it to the wedding then bring it back the next day and by the time Akira found out, the money would be back on his card. “Well...do you take credit cards?”

************

"Wow. You actually clean up nicely. I'd almost go so far as to call you handsome." 

Akira chuckled on the other end of the line. "You can see me? Have you been watching me get dressed? What do you mean  _ almost _ ?"

Now it was Takanori's turn to laugh. From the back of the guest house he could see into Akira's office. It was next to his bedroom but wasn't surrounded by solid walls. 

"How could I have watched? Were you walking around in some state of undress? I can see you, yes. And I said almost since your tie is too loose."

"Ah. Well, why don't you come and help me? I'm dying to see your outfit." 

That made his stomach sour. He hadn't shown Akira the dress when he'd arrived home the day before and honestly, he was scared that the other might get mad. "Aren't you not supposed to see me until the wedding?" He settled on teasing. 

Akira was smiling, he could tell just by his voice. “I think that only applies to the bride and groom. The car will be here in about ten minutes. Please let me see you before that.”

Takanori rolled his eyes at Akira’s whiney tone and ended the call. After grabbing his wallet and checking his hair one last time, he left the guest house and made his way to the main. He’d double checked all the tags on his clothing to make sure they were hidden but no matter how far from sight they were, Takanori still felt as if they were the size of a billboard. All he could do was hope for the best at this point. Akira’s smile did make things a bit more bearable when he met him just inside the back door. 

“You exceed my expectations. Wow.” He said, taking Takanori’s hand and spinning him in a slow circle. “You look absolutely gorgeous. I fear you may distract from the bride!” 

“Aki, stop it!” 

By the time Akira was done fussing over his outfit and Takanori had helped straighten his tie, their ride had arrived and unlike the normal town car he’d become accustomed too, a sleek, black limo had pulled up to the front door. Takanori decided not to question it. Akira had told him this wedding would be fancy. Apparently Nora was marrying some baseball player from LA. The ceremony and reception were being held at the Venecian hotel and he’d been warned that there would be paparazzi but Takanori assured him he could handle it. That had been such a lie. The entrance to the hotel was more like walking the red carpet than arriving for a wedding. Part of him was afraid of where those pictures were going to end up. Takanori really hoped they didn’t end up somewhere Kouyou would see them. 

“Aki...this looks like something from a Disney movie…” Takanori mused as they were led into the hall where the ceremony was to be held. Everything was done in the winter colors and there was even fake snow and lights and it was all so beautiful. 

“Is this how you picture your own wedding?” Akira asked, leaning down to whisper close to his ear. 

“I’ve...never even imagined having a wedding actually. I’m not exactly a people person, so I haven’t ever thought about getting married.”

“Hm, I thought every girl had a dream wedding planned out by the time they hit middle school.” 

Takanori scoffed. “I was a little busy in middle school being tortured by a bully.” He said, the sentence slipping from his mouth before he could think it through, but he’d hit a nerve, he could tell by the way Akira tensed up. A sad expression settled on his face and for the first time Takanori felt that the blond was full of guilt. “Don’t worry though. I’ll start dreaming up a wonderful wedding.” 

Akira smiled then and Takanori felt better that the situation had been avoided. 

The ceremony was beautiful and Takanori would have been lying if he said he hadn’t experienced a pang of jealousy watching Nora and her new husband kiss after their vows. What would it be like to have someone love you so much they would pledge their life to you? Takanori couldn’t imagine someone ever feeling that much for him. He was nobody worth the trouble and it seemed as if everyone around him thought the same thing. Which was why Akira’s affection towards him was simply confusing. Especially with someone of Akira’s social stature. There were plenty of beautiful, interesting, women around him all the time. So why had he decided to invite Takanori into his home? No matter how many times he asked himself that question, there was no answer to be found. 

By the time the main events of the reception were over and Akira had somehow convinced him to dance, a few hours had passed and Takanori realized his feet were killing him, even if the boots were comfortable. He said as much to his date and Akira led him back to their table. 

“Here.” He said, grabbing Takanori’s ankle and lifting his left foot into his lap. He was confused when the blond began unlacing his boot. 

“What are you doing? I can’t take my shoes off here. Aki, stop.” He hissed, trying to pull his foot away but Akira didn’t let him. Instead, he pulled his boot off and sat it on the floor before starting to massage the bottom of his foot with his thumbs. It felt so damn good that Takanori almost moaned. How ladylike would that have been?

“Feel good?” 

Takanori nodded, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back. “You have no idea. You’re...my hero right now.”

Akira chuckled. “Ah, well, don’t get used to it. I don’t do this for just anyone, you know.”

“He’s right. Never once did he ever do that for me.” 

The sound of Natalie’s voice had Takanori sitting up straight and quickly moving to pull his boot back on. “I’m sorry. I uh- Akira, he-” 

“Mikki, it’s fine. To be honest, I ditched my shoes hours ago.” Natalie said, lifting the hem of her dress. Sure enough, she was barefoot. “Between my sister and new brother in law and the two of you, I’m not sure who I’m more jealous of. Really, you both look so good this evening. Especially you, Mikki. Your dress is so adorable.”

“Oh, um, thank you.” Takanori stuttered, just knowing he was blushing at her compliments. 

“I hate to do this, but I need to steal Akira for a few pictures real quick. I promise I’ll bring him right back.” 

Before he could say another word, Akira was leaning over and kissing him on the forehead. “I’ll be right back, ‘kay?”

Takanori nodded, squeezing Akira’s arm as he pulled away. Left alone, he took a few deep breaths. All of this, the wedding, Akira, was becoming too much already and he’d only been here for five days. He wasn’t sure he could stay another nine days. Not without falling in l- 

_ What the fuck?????? _

No. That wasn’t going to happen. This was all just an act on his part after all. He was only catching feelings because of the wedding. Of course, anyone witnessing such a beautiful moment would feel lonely and want to feel close to someone, and Akira just happened to be there. Fake dating was fucking hard, wasn’t it?

With a sigh, Takanori turned in his chair but didn’t notice the tablecloth getting caught beneath his leg. The next thing he knew his champagne flute was slipping from the table and into his lap. The bubbly liquid splashed all across the bottom of his skirt before he could get up and Takanori had to stop himself from screaming. How the fuck could he be so clumsy?! All through the reception he’d been so careful and now this! A stupid fucking tablecloth! Before anyone could see what happened he took off for the closest bathroom. Luckily the hotel had closed one off just for the wedding party and guests. 

It didn’t matter. Nothing he did made any difference. By the time he stopped trying to get the champagne from the fabric tears were streaming down his face. Takanori sat back on the cushioned, circular, sofa and bent over, his face buried in his knees. Akira was going to kill him! What if he demanded to be paid back for the dress? He didn’t have the money to hand over. It’s not like he’d stocked up on savings. What the hell was he going to do? Maybe Akira would let him pay in installments? Maybe he could call and tell his credit company that his card had been stolen? Oh god, what would Kouyou think?! No, he couldn’t even tell his friend what was happening. Actually, Kouyou hadn’t so much as shot him a text since the day he’d arrived at Akira’s and it was starting to wear on his nerves not being able to talk to him. This was all such a mess! 

“Mikki? Oh goodness. Honey, what’s wrong? Why are you in here by yourself crying? Are you alright?”

Takanori looked up through blurry tears to find Natalie by his side. He looked away, trying to wipe at his eyes without messing up any more of the makeup than he already had. “I’m sorry. Sorry. I’m fine. Just...emotional. You know, the wedding and everything. Don’t worry about me. You shouldn’t worry about me.”

Natalie’s head tilted to the side, a sad look in her eyes. “Darling, of course, I’m worried about you. I understand that this can all be emotional but that’s not why you’re crying. You’re upset and I need you to tell me why. If I told Akira you were in here crying he’d be so upset. If I just walked out I don’t know what he’d do to me. He cares about you a lot. So why don’t you save me from my impending doom and tell me what’s wrong? Hm?”

How could he not trust this woman when she was so damn sweet? “I just...I spilled champagne all over my dress.”

“That’s nothing to fret over. Nicholas will take care of it when you get back to the house. Akira’s a clumsy mess, he’s learned how to clean up just about anything. Your dress will be good as new.”

Takanori shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. I did something...bad, to get this dress. I- Akira told me to find a dress for tonight and I tried so hard to find something suitable but then Roger took me to a shop that he said you go to and I thought if it’s good enough for someone like you then they would have to have something appropriate. The lady in the shop showed me this dress and it was so perfect. I knew Akira would approve and I so badly just didn’t want to embarrass him or anyone else here. But...I couldn’t afford it. Aki, he had given me his card because he wanted to buy my dress but Natalie...I spent almost two grand on this outfit. I thought if I could just keep the tags on and take everything back tomorrow then Akira would never find out. I know it was stupid! And now the dress can’t be returned and I don’t know what to do.” Takanori suddenly looked up, meeting the woman’s gaze. “Could you distract Akira for me? I need to get out of here so I can call my friend. He can help me figure out how to come up with the money. Then I can tell Akira I can pay him back and he’ll be mad but at least by then I’ll have a way to fix it.”

Natalie’s hand cupping his cheek startled him, his back going rigid, but the expression on her face was so full of worry. “Mikki, you really are worrying for nothing. Akira is not going to care that you bought the dress. He’s not going to be happy you planned to take it back though. He wouldn’t have given you the card if he hadn’t wanted you to use it. And I can tell from the way he’s been looking at you all night, that he would have gladly paid ten times that just to see you looking so beautiful and happy. Trust me, what you spent isn’t going to break Akira’s bank account. He’s...unusually thrifty and very smart with his money. You don’t need to worry about his finances. Now, I’m gonna go get Aki so he can come tell you the exact same thing and you two can go home for the evening. I’m really glad that you came tonight.” Natalie wiped across his cheeks with a paper towel before giving him a tight hug and leaving the restroom. 

Despite her words, Takanori was still uneasy. It didn’t settle with him right that Akira would just brush this off like it was nothing. It only served to make him feel more guilty and by the time Akira came into the room, tears had begun to fall again. Akira immediately sat down beside him and pulled him into his arms. 

“Shh. It’s okay. No more tears. Natalie told me everything, Mik. There’s no reason for you to be upset. Why don’t we head home and get your dress cleaned? And take the tags off while we’re at it.” Akira chuckled. 

“It’s not funny Akira.” He replied weakly. “You stay with your friends. I’ll go back to the house. I’m afraid I won’t be very good company tonight. You should stay.”

“Nah. I’ve had all the socializing I can take for the day. And I don’t care if you’re good company. We can just sit on opposite sides of the sofa in silence if that’s what you’re up for.”

Takanori tried to smile up at him when they finally pulled apart. “You really are a good guy Akira. A really, really good guy.”

That Akira laughed at. “Okay, but don’t tell anyone else. Let’s get you home.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Don’t be grumpy. I had Nicholas change your alarm last night because I know if I’d let you sleep another hour we would be late for the photoshoot. It takes you forever to get ready.” 

_ It takes a while to become someone you’re not! Asshole. _

Takanori rolled his eyes at his reflection in the mirror, toothbrush hanging from his mouth, phone held between shoulder and ear. Part of him had to admit it was sweet that Akira called him every morning to see if he was awake instead of showing up at the guest house. Not once in the past weeks had he invaded Takanori’s personal space and honestly, he was shocked. 

It really had been almost two weeks already… Tomorrow night was Akira’s championship title fight. Though he hadn’t had a chance to inform Kouyou yet, Takanori had decided somewhere around day eight that his plan was off. He would see Akira through his fight, fly back to New York with him, then they would go their separate ways and the blond would never find out why he’d been here in the first place. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin this new plan and so Takanori was content to spend his last few days enjoying Akira’s company instead of focusing on how many years he’d wasted hating the other man. 

Today Akira had a photoshoot for some sports magazine and it just so happened that the photographer lived here in Vegas  _ and  _ he was Akira’s best friend. While Takanori hadn’t been all that keen on meeting any more friends, Akira hadn’t given him much choice to stay home. 

“Well, I’m sorry that I can’t just roll out of bed and look gorgeous. That’s your job. I promise I’ll be done in time and I’ll come over for breakfast.”

“Or, you could come over and  _ be  _ breakfast.” Akira was quick to tease. 

Takanori felt himself blushing again. Part of him hated the way he reacted to Akira’s blatant flirting. They hadn’t done more than just kissing since their date at the Hoover Dam but he could tell Akira was itching for something more. He was thankful he only needed to hold out one more day. Not that he was against engaging in sexual activities with Akira, no. Takanori just knew once the other found what was really under his skirt he wouldn’t be all that thrilled. 

“It’s too early in the morning for you to be a perv already. I’m hanging up now.” He said, hitting the end call button and going back to brushing his teeth. 

For once he did finish getting ready in record time and Akira was just coming out of his bedroom when he stepped through the back door of the house. He didn’t say anything but reached for his hand and Takanori gladly accepted being led into the dining room. 

“So, tell me again about your photographer friend. What do I need to know before I meet him? You only said that he was Japanese too.” Takanori asked as a plate of waffles that made his mouth water was sat down in front of him. Akira’s omelet looked much more adult-ish than his own breakfast but he didn’t care. He wasn’t the one preparing for a fight. 

“Nice chocolate chips you’ve got there. Give me one little bite, pleeeease?”

Takanori rolled his eyes for the second time that day but cut off a small piece and held the fork out to Akira. The asshole didn’t even pretend he was going to take the fork; instead leaning over and taking the bite into his mouth. 

“You’re horrible.”

Akira grinned. “I might be. Anyway, my friend’s name is Yuu. He was born in Japan but raised just outside of London. He looks like a damn model without even trying and constantly tells me I’m ugly, so you’ll like him. He’s married to a man named Yutaka who is a chef at one of the high end restaurants here in town. They have a daughter named Mazy, she’s just started first grade. You’ll meet her today. She’s homeschooled since Yuu moves around a lot for work and Yutaka works at odd hours. They’re very good people. Don’t be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous about meeting them; I just want to make a good impression so they think I’m worthy of your time.” 

An almost sad smile appeared on Akira’s face that Takanori didn’t quite understand. “I don’t care what anyone thinks. You are more than deserving of my time.”

“Eat your omelet, Akira.”

************

Yuu’s studio turned out just to be another room in his borderline palatial penthouse apartment. The place was beautiful, maybe even more so than Akira’s house. So was Yuu. Akira had been absolutely right. The man was normal height and slim build but perfectly proportioned. His face was perfect too; caramel colored eyes and full lips. His raven colored hair fell in silky waves past his shoulders and Takanori wanted to bury his hands in it. He was staring and didn’t even bother to try and stop. 

“Mikki, this is my best friend Yuu.”

“It’s nice to meet the girl Aki has been texting me about. You’re even prettier than he said though.” Yuu said as he took Takanori’s hand and pressed a chaste kiss to his knuckles. 

“Oh my god, your accent.” Takanori turned to look up at Akira. “Babe, I’m sorry but if this guy ever comes for me, I’m leaving.”

Yuu burst out into a fit of laughter while Akira only pouted. But seriously? That face and body with a British accent? Takanori was once again reminded that he was  _ very  _ gay. 

“Flattery will get you everywhere, doll. Ah, here she is. This is my daughter. Mazy, this is Akira’s girlfriend, Mikki.”

Takanori couldn’t help but grin at the dark haired little girl. She was beautiful. “It’s nice to meet you Mazy.” He said, holding out his hand to the girl.

Mazy narrowed her eyes. “You’re really Uncle Aki’s girlfriend? But you’re too pretty to be his girlfriend.”

“Okay! Everyone gets it. I’m a troll. Can we start the shoot now?” Akira asked, throwing his hands in the air and walking away. 

“I actually happen to think Akira is quite handsome. You shouldn’t tease him so much.” Takanori leaned down closer to tell her a secret but loud enough the others could hear. “He’s very sensitive. We should be nice.” 

Akira scoffed. “I can hear you.”

“Come on Mazy. Why don’t you show me around and let these guys do their work hm?” He asked, holding his hand out for the little girl.

Mazy grinned at him, one of her side teeth missing, and grabbed his hand. Takanori looked back but Akira and Yuu were already talking about strategies for the photoshoot so he figured it was fine to disappear for a while. Yuu’s daughter took him on some kind of tour, that was for sure. She showed him all the buttons on their washer and dryer, the jets in the wall of the shower, and the tiny stain of red wine on the soft white carpet from the ‘one time daddy let me have a kitten’. It was all adorable and Takanori found that he enjoyed listening to the little girl prattle on about her life. She was so proud of her dads. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have a child who he could teach and spoil who would look at him like he was their world. Honestly, it made his chest ache to think of it.

“Can you read to me? I want to know what happens next in the book daddy was reading to me before he went to work this morning. I love it when he reads to me. He uses silly voices and makes me laugh.” Mazy asked, pulling him into her bedroom that was the size of his whole damn apartment. 

“Of course, honey. I’d love to read to you. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do the voices as well as your daddy does though. Let’s see what you’re reading here….oh! Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I’ve read this whole series actually.”

Mazy made herself comfortable on her queen sized princess bed and patted the spot next to her. Takanori sat down beside her and opened the book to where it had been marked that morning. The little girl came snuggling up to his side and for a moment he had no idea how to deal with it. Maybe if being hugged by a child felt this awkward he really was touch starved. Now that he really thought about it...the last time anyone had touched him more than just a squeeze to his arm or a handshake was before he graduated high school. His first and only time he’d had sex. The man had been a stranger and he’d been desperate for anyone to look at him. The experience had been awful enough that he didn’t want to try again and yet… He loved kissing Akira. Loved his little touches and affections and maybe he did want  _ more.  _ But it wasn’t like that could actually happen. 

“Alright. Let’s start uh… I’m going to go back two pages so I can start at the beginning of the chapter. Is that okay?” The little girl nodded so he started reading.

They hadn’t made it more than ten pages before Mazy started yawning. 

“Okay, I think it’s time for a break. I’m going to go check on Aki and your dad. I’ll be back in just a few moments. You just stay here and relax, alright?”

Mazy nodded, curling up with a plushie of a big, yellow duck. Takanori couldn’t help but smile at the sight. God, why was he being so emotional?! After pulling the door partially closed, Takanori walked down the hallway towards the room where Akira and Yuu were doing the photoshoot. He took his time, enjoying the way the soft white carpet felt beneath his bare feet. Before turning the corner he stopped. Akira and his friend were talking and though he knew it was eavesdropping, Takanori listened. Maybe he could learn more about Akira. 

“Man, it’s so good to see you with someone again. After your divorce, I was worried that you had given up all together.” Yuu was saying. “Does this mean that you’re...finally over him?”

_ Him?? _

Takanori then heard a sigh that could only be Akira’s. “Honestly? I don’t know. I thought maybe I was. The moment I met Mikki I knew I wanted to be around her but I think it’s for the wrong reasons. She just...reminds me so much of him. The way she talks, her mannerisms. I swear Yuu, they could be brother and sister. I’m afraid that I may be growing attached to her because of that.”

“That’s not fair to her, Akira. You can’t date this girl and pretend she’s someone else. Sooner or later it’s going to become blatantly obvious that she isn’t him.”

Akira sounded so defeated. “I know. And I’ve teased her but haven’t pushed for anything more than a few kisses and deep down I think I know it’s because the illusion will be broken. I like her a lot but I know this isn’t right. She’s such a wonderful person and I don’t want to hurt her, but I’m going to have to, aren’t I? I’m the one who asked her to stay here so I want to at least make sure she makes it home safe. Once we’re almost to New York, I’ll explain everything and hope she doesn’t hate me.”

He really should have been relieved by Akira’s words. He’d been planning to ‘break up’ with him once they reached home anyway. This would just make it easier for both of them. So why did it hurt so damn bad? Takanori didn’t want to hear anymore so he went back to Mazy’s room. The little girl was sound asleep as he’d expected. He gently pulled the book from her grasp and settled next to her again. Takanori tried his best to ignore the tears on his cheeks as he watched her sleep. A future he hadn’t even been aware he wanted was already lost to him and it made his insides twist painfully. But it had all been a grand illusion in his head anyway. Despite the fact that he could now admit he felt strongly for Akira, it wasn’t as if they were ever going to be married and have a family. He needed to get this delusional dream out of his head. 

************ 

“Mik, are you okay? You haven’t eaten anything and you’re being unusually quiet.” 

Akira’s concerned voice reached his ears and Takanori shrugged to cover up the way he flinched. True, he had been pushing his food around on his plate for half an hour now without a word between them. Usually their meals were filled with chatting and laughing. Now was the time to speak up; he just wasn’t sure how to go about it. 

“I’m… Honestly, I’m relieved.” He started, looking up to meet Akira’s confused gaze. “I overheard you talking with Yuu about me earlier.”

Akira’s fork fell from his hand and clattered onto the table. “How...much of that did you hear? Mikki, I am sorry. I-”

“It’s okay, Aki. Really, it is. Let’s be realistic. Even if you did really like me for  _ me  _ there still isn’t a future for us. I knew that when we went on that first date. I don’t regret staying with you. I’ve truly enjoyed the time I’ve spent with you and being able to relax for a while. You have nothing to apologize for. I was basically going to have the same conversation with you that you planned to have with me. So let’s just end this amicably right now and leave things on a positive note.”

“You’re amazing. I hope you know that.” Akira started. “I honestly didn’t intentionally mean to lead you on. It just took me too long to realize what I was thinking. I’ve...enjoyed this last couple weeks though. It’s been nice to hang out with someone that didn’t expect anything from me. You allowed me to unwind and live a little. I’ll always be thankful for that. And thank you for being so understanding about all of this.”

Takanori scoffed. “Well, I do have two conditions for you to get out of this guilt free.”

Akira arched a brow at him. “Oh? And what might those conditions be?”

“One, if anyone asks, I get to tell them I told you we couldn’t be together and it broke your heart.”

“Alright, I can live with that.”

“And two, I get to keep this hoodie. You don’t get it back in the break up.”

Akira was grinning, leaning over to grab one of the drawstrings and give it a tug. “You have yourself a deal. As long as you meet my one condition too. You have to still come to the fight tomorrow night and support me as a friend.”

Takanori nodded, a stupid smile on his face. “I’ll be there.”

An hour or so later found them both curled up on the sofa in the living room. The television wasn’t on and neither of them felt the need to start talking. Takanori was happy to sit in comfortable silence while he ran his fingers through Akira’s hair. The blond looked about to fall asleep, his head laying in Takanori’s lap. Unfortunately there was a question burning in his mind that needed answered before he could leave. 

“Aki? Are you awake?” He asked, brushing his fingertips along the other’s cheek. He received a weak ‘mhm’ in return. “Will you tell me about the guy you’re in love with? The one Yuu was talking about?”

Akira stirred then, rolling over to lay on his back so he could look up at him. “It’s kind of a long and fucked up story, Mik. It has a lot to do with my childhood that I wouldn’t tell you about before. I trust you not to write about it, but do you really want to hear all of that? You’ll probably hate me if I tell you the whole thing.”

“I’m not going to hate you. And currently, I’m very comfortable; so I don’t mind a long story. Come on, Aki. I wanna know all about this guy who stole your heart.”

The blond smiled, turning on his side a bit so his nose brushed against Takanori’s stomach. It caused more butterflies than he’d liked to admit. “You smell so good. All the time. Like if someone covered a warm sand beach with vanilla.”

“You’re so strange. Always sniffing me like some kind of dog. I actually put that vanilla bean lotion on this morning because I know you like how it smells. I’ll leave you the bottle so you can buy some for your next girlfriend.”

Akira poked him in the side. “I think you’ll be my last girlfriend. It’s become apparent that if it isn’t  _ him  _ then it should be no one at all.”

“Well, maybe if you tell me about him, I can help you find him. Stop distracting me and get to the story.” Takanori giggled, playfully pinching his cheek. 

“Alright, okay. So, growing up, my dad was a businessman. He traded stocks and apparently he was damn good at it because we had money. Lots of it. At school, everyone knew I was the rich kid, even in elementary school. Everyone wanted to be friends with me because my life was so great, right? Except that my dad was as controlling at home as he was at work. I watched him verbally and mentally and  _ physically  _ abuse my mother and I knew even at such a young age that it was wrong but what could I do? I was so angry all the time. All I wanted to do was help my mom somehow and I couldn’t.”

Takanori felt his chest tighten. He never could have imagined something like this. Never in all the years that Akira had put him through hell had he even contemplated the idea that maybe Akira’s life wasn’t so perfect either. He’d never wondered about the  _ why. _

“Anyway, during all of this craziness going on at home, this new kid shows up at school and I honestly don’t even  _ know  _ why but I started taking all my anger and aggression out on him. He did nothing to deserve it and I knew that but I couldn’t stop myself. It felt so good to have someone else feel the hurt that I had to hide every day. Years past just like that until our fourth grade year. I got up for school and my mom…she tried to smile and make sure I was ready but her eye was so black and blue she could hardly see through it. I was just so tired of seeing this. I told one of my teachers. I told her everything and I thought finally something would happen. The teacher had to report it but when the police came to our house and realized who my dad was and how much money he had, they didn’t check anything. They didn’t even ask to see my mom. They told my dad to have a good evening and left like it was nothing! That’s when I realized my mom and I were stuck in that hell hole forever. I went to school the next day and recess came along. I uh, I kicked that poor kid off a jungle gym. He broke his arm in two different places. Enough of the kids told the teachers he slipped and I never got accused of anything. At the time I didn’t feel guilty at all.”

“Oh. Oh god…” Takanori felt a phantom pain in his arm. He remembered how it had felt; remembered going to the hospital, remembered wearing a cast for what seemed like forever. Most of all, he remembered glancing back up through his tears to see Akira’s smug expression. He truly hadn’t felt guilty at all. “Um, what about now? Did you regret it later?”

Akira shifted again and Takanori could finally see the tears shining in his eyes. “Of course I did but it didn’t matter. It was too late. I couldn’t exactly go to him years later and just say I was sorry, right? We hit middle school and you know how girls start looking at boys and boys start thinking girls aren’t so gross? I still thought they were gross. While all my friends were trying to learn how to flirt and thinking about the girls in our class, I was spending my nights with my hand in my boxers replaying the same scene in my head over and over. It was him of course, the damn new kid. I’d caught him in the locker room after gym class and he’d just pulled his shirt over his head. He’d been so scrawny but so soft at the same time and I couldn’t stop thinking about touching his skin. I wondered what his lips tasted like. I was obsessed."

"I even went so far as to snap a photo of him once in our seventh year. He fell asleep in one of our classes and I just snapped a picture. I would still have it except later that year my dad caught me looking at it in my room. I didn’t even know that he was home. That was the day he stopped beating on my mom and started in on me instead. He just kept saying he was going to ‘beat the gay out of me’. I didn’t even understand what that meant at the time. I tried my best not to think about that kid anymore. The more my dad took out on me, the more I began to want to hate him but I couldn’t. We got into high school and every time I would see that guy all I would want is to talk to him. I wanted him to look at me with anything other than hatred and tell me things were going to be okay. I needed him but there was no way I could go to him.”

“Finally in our Sophomore year my dad had enough. He told my mother he could never live with someone as cowardly as her and that he couldn’t stay one more minute under a roof with her faggot son. He walked out and never came back but for some reason it still hurt. I should have been relieved, and I was, but I was so angry that my mom and I had gone through so much and then he just got to walk away like none of it had ever happened. At the time, everything he had said to me made me hate the feelings I had towards the boy in my class. I hated him because I was convinced that it was his fault I even had those feelings. I was out of control and had no one to go to. So I ended up hurting him one last time. I told the entire school that he was gay. I told horrible stories about things he’d done with grown men around town; basically made him out to be a whore. He wasn’t even sixteen yet… The next thing I knew, he was pulled out of school and I never saw him again. I’ve never regretted something so much in my entire life. If I saw him again, I’d do anything to have him forgive me.”

By the time he finished, Akira was all out crying, his face pressed against Takanori’s shirt, and all he could do was hold him. Part of him wanted to comfort him and tell him he was forgiven but now wasn’t the time. Maybe there never would be a time. So Takanori just brushed through his hair and whispered soothingly to him while his body shook with the force of his sobs. Akira’s heart wasn’t the only one breaking. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one short chapter left after this!!! I'm so thankful for every one of you that's commented and left kudos. I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying this fic. I had a lot of fun writing it. Without further ado...chapter 7!

“Ah, good morning, Miss.”

Takanori looked up as he walked into the kitchen. Nicholas was there helping Akira’s cook finish making breakfast. “Morning. Is Akira outside? I didn’t see him out on the track.”

“Mister Suzuki has not come downstairs yet this morning. Every now and then he will sleep in like this and I’ve learned to let him sleep. It’s almost eight though…”

“I’ll go wake him up.” He said, already turning to head upstairs. Sure enough, Akira was still in bed even though the sun was beginning to shine in since he’d obviously forgotten to close the drapes. The blond was sprawled across his bed sleeping peacefully so Takanori slowly crawled in next to him, laying his head on Akira’s arm. The movement must have been enough to rouse him because the next thing he knew, Akira’s eyes opened and he smiled at him sleepily. 

“I’ve never got to see you wake up before. You’re almost cute when you’re asleep.” He whispered and Akira lifted his arm to haul him closer, burying his nose into his hair. 

“You’re cute always. This is a nice way to wake up though. I’m sorry I didn’t meet you outside this morning. Last night...wore me out for some reason. I hardly slept."

Takanori sighed, relaxing in the other man's hold. "I'm sorry that I brought up all that stuff yesterday. I didn't mean to make you have a bad night." While he didn't mind being so close to Akira, it was odd now that he knew how the other felt about him. Akira loved him and that was hard to wrap his mind around. 

Akira shook his head, planting a kiss in Takanori’s hair. “No, don’t apologize. It actually felt good to talk about it all. I just have a hard time pushing it to the back of my mind again. I’ll be fine though. Don’t worry.”

“Hmm. Aki, do you think... we could still be friends when we get back to New York? I’d like to still be able to call you sometimes. I...just don’t want to never talk to you again.”

“I don’t want that either.” Akira replied, pulling away so he could look down at him. “I’d love it if we could stay friends. And as my friend, I’m using you as a pillow for the next hour. It’s an important day you know, I need my beauty sleep.”

Takanori didn’t even try to resist as Akira cuddled up to him. “Alright. Just this once. And only because it’s partially my fault that you didn’t sleep well.”

**************

He hated packing. Plain and simple. No matter if he was leaving for someplace or getting ready to go home, his suitcase was the enemy. Maybe if he didn’t feel the need to bring his entire closet it wouldn’t be such a task but come on, he needed all of it! 

Takanori sighed as he zipped his suitcase shut and set it by the front door of the guest house. He couldn’t believe this was his last day here. Tomorrow they’d be on a plane bound for New York and Takanori would never set foot in this place again. Despite what Akira had said earlier that morning, he knew that logically they wouldn’t continue this friendship. Akira was far too busy and so was he. Their lives didn’t mesh. They’d probably text for a while but that too would end sooner or later. Takanori already knew he would save their texts for a long time. He was already preparing himself to lose Akira and cursing himself for allowing these feelings to develop for him in the first place. All he’d wanted for years was to confront and hurt him, and now all he wanted was to never leave his side…

Just before Takanori could travel that melancholy path that would lead to more tears he heard his phone ringing. He figured it was probably Akira letting him know he was leaving so when he saw Kouyou’s name on the screen he was immediately confused and apprehensive. After two weeks of no communication his roommate calls him out of nowhere? What if something bad had happened?

“Uh, hey Kouyou.” He answered. 

“Taka. I’m glad you picked up.” 

Takanori scratched at the back of his neck. “Really? I thought you didn’t want to talk to me?”

Kouyou sighed. “I know… I thought a lot about what you said and you were right. I don’t know the whole story about what happened between you and Akira and it wasn’t right of me to go off on you about it. So, I’m sorry, for that and for not talking to you since then.”

“No, Kou, you were right. I didn’t think about the fact that my side wasn’t the only one to the story. I had no idea what was going on in Akira’s life back then. I should have listened to you.”

“Have you talked to him then? What about your plan?”

Takanori sat down on the sofa, pulling his knees up to his chest. “I’m not going through with it. I don’t want to cause Akira any more pain than he’s already feeling. I didn’t talk to him. He still doesn’t know who I am and I plan to keep it that way. What he did to me was horrible but what he was living with at home...Kouyou, I can’t even imagine how he managed to be any kind of normal at school. And all the bullying… If I had just stopped thinking about myself for one moment and tried to ask him why he kept hurting me then maybe he would have had just one person to talk to. But I didn’t. I couldn’t look past my own life to see that he wasn’t some no brained asshole. He needed help and no one was there for him. I don’t want to see him cry ever again. I won’t cause that.”

Kouyou was silent for so long Takanori thought he’d hung up and his voice was soft when he finally spoke up. “I’m glad that something happened to make you stop. I’m sorry for whatever Akira went through but I’m thankful that he told you. Now maybe you can move on from this too. Why don’t I come get you from the airport tomorrow and we’ll take the rest of the day for ourselves?”

“I’d really like that Kou. You’ll have to tell me about everything you’ve been doing while I was gone. I missed you.” He pouted and Kouyou laughed on the other end of the line. 

“I missed you too, Peanut. Let me know when your flight will land and I’ll be there. On time, of course.”

“No you won’t, but I don’t mind waiting. I’ll-"

"Hold on Kou. Akira's calling me."

"Ooh add him to the call. I swear he won't even know I'm here. I wanna be able to say I've been on the phone with him." Kouyou giggled. 

"Fine. But be quiet." Takanori replied, answering Akira's call and adding it in. “Hey. Aki. Are you getting ready to leave?”

“Morning Buttercup. Well, again, I guess. Thank you for staying with me this morning. I feel much better now. Um, Nicholas is actually coming to the fight tonight. Do you want to ride in with him or do you want your own car? I probably won’t be able to see you before the match but I left your passes on the island. Natalie wants to do some press beforehand but if I have a moment, I'll come find you for that good luck kiss you promised me."

Takanori could picture Kouyou's expression and silently cursed Akira and his incessant teasing. "Did we not just agree to being friends this morning? Friends don't kiss, Akira."

"Well, if I had known that then I wouldn't have agreed to the friend thing until we got home. Come on, you can't just cut me off like that!" Akira actually whined. 

"I'm cutting this call off! I'll see you later. Beat up some ugly men for me."

"Will do!"

Akira's photo disappeared from the call and he could hear the smirk in his best friend's voice when he spoke up. "Soooo Buttercup, you two seem to have become quite close. Anything else you want to tell me?”

Takanori chewed on his bottom lip. “No. I told you that I understand him more. That’s all there is to it. We’re not that close. Akira just really loves teasing people. We...have kissed. It wasn’t planned but it was nice. It’s been a long time since anyone wanted to kiss me, so forgive me for my moments of weakness. This time though, he was just messing with me. It’s not happening again and he knows that just as well as I do.”

“It’s okay, Taka, you know? If you’ve developed real feelings for Akira, it’s okay. I know that not seeing him again is going to hurt. I’ll be here for you. I want you to know that.”

“I do, Kou. I appreciate you more than you know.”

************

“Do you...plan to tell him who you really are?”

Takanori’s head whipped the side so fast he’d thought his neck would snap. Nicholas wasn’t looking at him though. The older man had his hands firmly on the wheel of the black SUV, his eyes trained on the road before them. “W-what do you mean? What are you talking about?”

“No need to fret. I am a master at keeping secrets. You don’t think I’d allow someone to stay so close to Mister Suzuki without finding out who they were, do you? I’ve done my homework, Takanori. Whatever you came here to do, I’m guessing the plan has changed, and I’m thankful for that. I can see that you feel strongly for Suzuki and he may not understand why, but he feels the same for you. I offer my advice, whether you take it is completely up to your digression. I think that you should tell him who you are. Tell him you’ve forgiven him and why you came here. Clear up all the cobwebs then see where the two of you stand after the dust clears. You’re both good people and you deserve to be happy. Maybe that’s with each other, maybe it’s not, but I think you’ll regret your choice if you leave without telling him.”

Nicholas's words stuck with him all evening. While he watches a few of the opening fights, Takanori found he couldn't focus on them anyway and headed back into the employee area towards the back of the arena. No one paid him any attention as he wandered the hallways until he found a familiar door. This is where Natalie had left him alone the first night he'd met Akira again. That was only two weeks ago but it felt like so much longer. He felt like such a  _ different  _ person. 

Before he could open the door to step inside, an arm wrapped around his waist and hauled him into the room across the hallway. Takanori kicked at whoever had grabbed him and managed to get away only to find Akira behind him, rubbing at his shin. 

“Aki? What the hell were you thinking? Why didn’t you say something?!”

“How was I supposed to know you would start kicking?! Geez. Maybe you should be the one in the ring tonight. I just snuck away to go to the bathroom but I saw you standing there and figured I could steal you away for a minute.”

Takanori huffed, planting his hands on his hips, but he couldn’t be mad when Akira looked like a kicked (literally) puppy. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. You just caught me off guard. Are you doing okay?”

Akira nodded but the way he was staring at the ground didn’t lead Takanori to believe him. “I am, but I’m also not. I don’t know. I’m not on my game. I feel distracted and nervous. I’ve never felt like this before a fight.”

“It’s probably because this is such a big one. Don’t let it psych you out. You’re going to do great. I know it.”

“How?” 

Takanori stepped up to him, placing his hands on Akira’s chest. “Because you’re going to get that good luck kiss after all.” He said, leaning up on his toes to press his lips to the blonde’s. It took Akira a moment to get with the program but then he was kissing him back, hands tightening on his waist, and it became deeper than any they'd shared before. He could feel Akira's heart hammering against his palm and wondered if his own was working just as hard. 

His hands moved up, fingers digging into Akira's hair to pull him that much closer even as they parted. 

"Fuck." He panted against Takanori's neck. "You taste so sweet."

An uncontrollable moan fell from his lips and startled them both just enough to bring them back to reality. They backed a few steps away from one another, their gazes shying away. 

"I think." Takanori started. "That maybe we shouldn't do that again. I want to be friends but this...just makes things too confusing."

Akira was nodding, rubbing his hands over his face. "Yeah, no, I agree. I’m sorry I got carried away.”

“It wasn’t just you. Don’t apologize. You should get back before Natalie comes to find you.”

“Right. I’ll see you after a while then.”

Takanori could tell that what had just happened had only made Akira more jittery but it hadn’t been his intention at all. He gave the blonde’s arm a squeeze as he passed and Akira smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

***********

This was  _ bad.  _ Takanori flinched but was unable to look away every time a blow came flying. Akira hadn’t been hit yet but he hadn’t touched his opponent once and the first round was almost over. What was he doing? As the buzzer rang for the one minute break, Takanori stood next to Natalie as she spoke. 

“Aki, what’s going on? This isn't like you.” Her voice was soft but he could tell she was as close to losing her shit as he was. 

Akira shook his head. “I don’t know. I just can’t focus. My nerves are rattled.”

“Stop thinking. You have to…”

Takanori didn’t hear the rest of what she was saying. He quickly made his way through to the back rooms and into a bathroom. He hadn’t worn a dress, thank goodness, so he scrubbed the makeup off his face and ran his fingers through his hair. He pulled one of Akira’s t-shirts he’d stolen out of his bag and slipped it over his head then removed any of the jewelry he’d used for Mikki’s disguise. Looking in the mirror, he nodded to himself. Natalie may not be able to get Akira out of his head but he had a feeling  _ he  _ could.

Natalie did a double take when he stepped up beside her again. Akira was getting tired, he could tell, but at least he hadn’t been hit yet. 

“Mikki?” She asked, the word drawn out like she wasn’t sure. 

“Kind of.” He replied rather sheepishly. “My real name is Takanori. Natalie, I’m sorry but I’ll explain everything. I promise. Please just let me talk to Akira. I can help him. I know I can.” 

Natalie bit her lip, her expression unsure, but she finally signalled for a time out. Akira’s chest was heaving as he returned to his side looking just as confused. “What’s going on? Why did you call it?” He asked, and Natalie stepped out of the way,

Takanori watched Akira’s eyes widen, his lips part to inhale a heavy breath. “T-Mik-”

“No, I mean, yes. I was Mikki but Akira, it’s me. I swear it’s really me. Please, don’t be angry. Come here.” Takanori reached through the fence for his hand and Akira seemed stunned but slipped their fingers together. 

“How are you here? Why- I don’t understand. Takanori...I-”

“I know. Aki, I know. I will explain it all to you, but you have to finish this fight first. Okay? Don’t think about the past. Think about earlier today. Think about that kiss. That was me. Remember how that felt and don’t think about anything else. We’ll talk, but it can’t happen if you’re in the hospital. Knock this guy out so we can talk. Can you do that?”

Akira’s dark eyes were shiny but he nodded, putting the guard back in his mouth. He still looked so confused but he squeezed his hand before gently pushing it back through the fence and turning back to the fight.

“You have got a whole lot of explaining to do to all of us.” Natalie said from beside him and Takanori nodded. 

With thirty seven seconds left in the round, Akira knocked his opponent flat on his back and the taller man wasn’t getting up. The crowd all around them erupted into cheers and screams. The referee held up Akira’s hand and though he should have been basking in all the attention, Akira’s gaze was focused solely on Takanori who’s eyes were glued to him too. After the match everything began to happen in such a flurry that Takanori didn’t realize how late it was until he walked back out into the arena around three in the morning and Akira was standing just inside the octagon’s door. He had leaned back against the fence, his head back, eyes closed. Takanori took a moment to appreciate how beautiful he looked even if it did cause a pain in his chest. 

“Champion. That has a nice ring to it. How does it feel?”

Akira turned to look at him through the fence. He hadn’t dared to go inside; it wasn’t his space. “It feels good to be done with it. I think I’ve got too many emotions in my head to properly process winning.”

“I’m sor-”

“I honestly didn’t think you’d still be here. I don’t understand how you can just stand there in front of me and talk like everything is normal.”

Takanori’s gaze fell to his feet. “I...know what I did was wrong. That’s why I st-”

“That’s not what I meant.” Akira interrupted him again. His fingers found purchase in the links of the fence. His posture led Takanori to believe he felt cornered and ready to run, but his expression just seemed tired. “I meant after everything that I’ve done to you, how can you even look at me? I don’t understand anything that’s been happening. If you wanted to hurt me, you’re too late. I’ve already done the damage to myself.”

Takanori shook his head, taking a few steps closer to the cage. “I did. I took the job with the goal of writing an interview that would make you look like the monster I remember from school. Then when you invited me to stay with you I thought I could do one better. The Akira I knew was a homophobe. What better way to destroy you than let you fall in love with a girl who turned out to be a guy? I thought it would humiliate you and make you mad enough that you’d lose the fight. I just wanted you to feel the pain that I’d felt at your hands. But I didn’t know. Akira, I didn’t know that you already had. I didn’t know anything about you or the horrors that you were living through.”

“None of it makes what I did to you justified. It doe-”

“No, it doesn’t, but it makes it understandable. It makes me see you as a human too. Being around you these past weeks has made me see that you aren’t that person I knew anymore and honestly, that makes me so happy. As selfish as it sounds, knowing that there was a reason behind the torture helps me to be able to move on from it. And I’ve spent so many years hating you, Akira. I don’t want to dwell in that hatred anymore. I have loved this time we spent together, even if you thought I was someone else. All of the things I said and the feelings I felt were real. I forgive you. For everything. Aki, I forgive you. Can you forgive me for misleading you and trying to hurt you?”

Akira honestly looked like he was about to bawl and Takanori wasn’t sure if he could handle seeing him cry again. So instead of standing there like a statue, he went up the stairs and stepped into the ring. 

“Akira?” He said, reaching out to lay a hand on his upper arm. Akira’s hand quickly covered his own, keeping it in place. 

“This is...a lot to take in. Of course I forgive you but now I’m forced to look back at the last two weeks and realize it’s been  _ you  _ this whole time. Takanori, I don’t understand how you could so easily forgive me.”

“It wasn’t easy. Not at first anyway, but then I decided I didn’t want to hurt you anymore. Then feelings just kind of took over. I like the person you’ve become, Akira. You’re a good man with a kind heart and how exactly was I supposed to stay angry when confronted with that?”

Akira scoffed. “I don’t even know what to say to that. Where does this leave us now?”

Takanori shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I have all of my things packed. If you want, I’ll collect them and take a taxi to the airport now. I’ll catch the first flight out and you’ll never have to see me again. We can both move on and leave all of this behind us.”

“Or?”

“Or we could go home and get a few hours of sleep before our flight and we could talk more on the way back to New York.”

Akira gave him a tentative smile. “I think I’d like to take the second option. I’m not...ready to say goodbye yet.”

  
  
  
  



	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end!! Just a short little epilogue. I hope you all have enjoyed this story and will reread it as many times as I have.

“I’ve never flown first class before. Maybe I should just stay back in economy. I don’t mind. It’s not like I need extra room or anything.”

Akira let out a heavy breath as he handed Takanori his boarding pass. “You wouldn’t come into the house last night, you waited until right before we left this morning to come into the house, you sat as far away from me in the limo as possible, and now you’re trying your damnedest to get away from me on this plane. Why don’t you just admit that you made a mistake and should have left after the fight?”

“Akira, it’s no-”

“Actually, don’t say it. I’ll go get your ticket changed. Be right back.” 

Takanori couldn’t get a word out before Akira was walking away so instead of talking, he took off after him, grabbing for his arm. “Aki stop! Come on, stop. I’m not doing it on purpose, I swear. I just don’t know how to act towards you now.”

“Why can’t you just act as you did before?”

“Because I’m not Mikki. She doesn’t exist and I don’t know how you want me to act. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You don’t want to make  _ me  _ uncomfortable?” Akira laughed. “Takanori, I told Mi- I told  _ you  _ just the other night that I couldn’t be in a relationship because I still had feelings for you and you’re worried about making me uncomfortable?”

“You have feelings for a boy who you haven’t seen since high school. I’ve changed too. You don’t know if you’re still in love with me. Plus it was  _ high school!  _ You may have never actually been in love.”

Akira stopped walking then, rounding on him and getting right in his face. Takanori could feel his breath on his lips. “I knew what love felt like, and I still do. You said everything you told me and felt while you were pretending to be Mikki was all you. If that’s true then you like me. You admitted that much and that kiss earlier? You felt it. And I know damn well you can feel whatever this tension is between us now.” He leaned down then, lips ghosting over the shell of Takanori’s ear. “You know I want you. Stop acting like you aren’t just as on edge. They’re calling our seats.”

Takanori didn’t have time to recover before Akira was headed back towards their gate. This was going to be a long flight. Maybe he could sleep through most of it.

*********

They had three hours left when Takanori woke up to his nose being tickled. Akira’s head was laying on his shoulder, hair in his face. Part of him was annoyed and wanted to push him off, the other part wanted him to stay there forever. Unfortunately, they really did need to talk. 

“Akira. Aki, wake up. Come on, you gotta sit up.”

Akira grumbled but eventually sat up, rubbing at his eyes like a sleepy child. The sight made his heart do a series of flips. “Sorry. I guess I was snoring?”

“No. But I probably wouldn’t have been able to hear you over my own snoring anyway.” He replied, rearranging the blanket that covered them both. 

“I always thought you snored like a man. How close are we?”

“A little under three hours. I thought we should talk before the plane lands. We need to get this all worked out between us, I think. Need to know where we stand.”

Akira nodded, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders. “Okay. Yeah. Just tell me one thing. Are you going to disappear as soon as we touch down?”

Takanori shook his head. “I don’t know. I think that depends on what you decide. Do you want me to disappear? What is it that you want, Akira?”

“That’s a loaded question, isn’t it? I want a lot of things. I want to stop fighting. I want to go back to uni. But most of all, I don’t want to lose you again. After you moved schools, I thought I’d never see you again. This whole time I couldn’t figure out why Mikki was so familiar to me. I thought she had to be related to you. I was an idiot, obviously, but now I know it was you the whole time and it pained me to even let you out of my sight last night. You can’t just disappear again but this isn’t just about me. What do you want?”

“Well, unlike you, I don’t want much.” Takanori replied, reaching under the blanket for Akira’s hand. He didn’t take it, only allowing his fingers to graze his palm. “I just want you to hold my hand like you did before today. I want to kiss you again but I want you to kiss  _ me.  _ And I don’t want to stop this time.”

Akira’s fingers thread between his own, his much larger hand encompassing his smaller one. “Taka, I would gladly give you anything. All you have to do is ask. Unfortunately, given our current environment, I can’t give you what you’re asking for. Can you wait until we land?”

“I could. If you gave me a small taste.”

Akira wasted no time, leaning in to press their lips together. The kiss was so soft Takanori felt it in every nerve ending in his body. It was over far too quickly for his liking. 

“Does this mean you won’t disappear?”

“I’ll stay as long as you want me too.” He replied, his eyes falling shut as lips trailed along his cheek. 

“Then don’t ever plan on leaving. When we get to New York, let’s take the car to your place, gather a few things, then spend the next week at my apartment with takeout food, my dvd collection, and you wearing nothing but whatever cologne I choose to put on that day.”

Takanori shivered in his seat. “I could use a few days off. Can’t think of a better way to spend them.”

******************

By the time the plane landed, Takanori felt as if his skin was on fire. Akira hadn’t let a full minute go by without kissing some part of him and honestly, he was about to die. Thankfully he'd thought ahead and called Kouyou to let him know he already had a ride to the apartment because he and Akira seemed permanently attached now. 

Akira was laughing as a limo pulled up to the curb, his arms wrapped around Takanori’s waist as he nuzzled into his hair. “Here’s our ride.” A man in an outfit that matched Nicholas’s came around the side and opened the back door. “Ah, thank you, Marky.” 

“I almost missed you, Mr. Akira. Almost. Where are we headed?” The blond-haired man asked. 

Akira rattled off Takanori’s address. “But take the long way there, please.”

The driver nodded and closed the door behind them. The partition in the middle was up and hopefully, it stayed that way. Akira was on him the second the lock slid into place, pressing him back into the bench seat. They were a mess of tangled limbs and tongues, panting and moaning as they tried to get closer and closer. 

“Sit back.” Takanori whined. “Sit back, please.” 

Akira did as he was told and the moment he was sat down Takanori was in his lap, his hips rocking against him trying desperately for friction. 

“Take this off. Take it off!” Takanori lifted his arms as Akira tried to yank his shirt off but it got stuck. 

“Just leave it! Let me-!” He left his shirt half off, making a play for the hem of Akira’s sweats at the same time as the blonde’s hands slipped into the back of his leggings. The position was difficult but once he had Akira in his hand, hard and so fucking hot, he all but salivated at the sight. 

Akira forced him off his lap, grabbing either side of his pants and yanking them down along with his boxers. Takanori kicked them both off one leg and was pulled back down. He delved his fingers into Akira’s hair, kissing him hard as strong hands gripped his hips. The moment their bare flesh came into contact, Akira bit into his shoulder, just enough to leave a bruise, and Takanori reached between their bodies to wrap a hand around them both. 

“Taka-”

“I can do it!”

“Your hands too small. Let me-”

“Oh, fuck!” Takanori’s head fell onto Akira’s shoulder as his much larger hand encompassed them and started stroking. He ran his hands up under his shirt, feeling the hard muscle and soft skin. All he had to do was… yes. With the shirt bunched up, Takanori flicked his tongue over Akira’s nipple, sucking at the hard peak and tugging with his teeth. The blond apparently liked it, the sounds coming from his mouth were turning him on even more. 

“Takanori. Taka, I can’t-”

“Too close…” 

They both called each other’s names, voices strained as they reached that glorious peak, and Akira helped them through it. Takanori tried his best just to breathe as the blond lowered him to the limo’s floor. 

“Here. Uh, I kind of- Well,  _ we  _ kind of made a mess of you.” Akira pulled a blanket from a cubby under the seat bench and cleaned him up the best he could before pulling him back into his arms. “That was insane. I’m sorry for not being more gentle with you.”

Takanori only scoffed, resting his head in the crook of his neck. “You can make it up to me later when being gentle is more important. Just...help me find my pants and hold me for now.”

Akira chuckled, smoothing his hair back from his face. “I can do that. Hey Taka?”

“Hmm?”

“You may not want to hear this, but, I love you.”

“Stupid.” Takanori raised his head to look at his boyfriend in the eye. “You’re cheezy and overly romantic and- Hell, Akira, I love you too. I love you so much.”

Takanori could feel tears burning behind his eyes, and he didn’t even try to stop them, just buried his face against Akira’s neck and let them fall. He was safe here, Akira would never hurt him ever again. 

“You know Taka, I’ve always been told that the best revenge is to simply be happy.”

“Well, then this is the sweetest revenge.”

  
  



End file.
